


Against His Word

by orphan_account



Series: Against His Word [1]
Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-21 13:21:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 22,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3693800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nothing was ever the same since Tadashi had died. It really changed my life... I... I'm ashamed I... I'm going against his word of wanting to keep everyone safe... and... doing the exact opposite...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Fight Across Town

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Big Hero 6 big project - and may have various spelling errors and whatnot. Also, this was originally posted on Wattpad under the same title, and would be updated more than this one.

It was the day before his funeral, and I was up in my room. The light spilling through the shades of the window was dim, barely illuminating the dark space which was heavy with the scent of grief and loss. I heard a light tapping on my door.

"Go away, Aunt Cass." I hissed, not wanting to interact with anyone.

"Hiro..." she replied, opening the door. She held a plate of food in her hand. "You really need to eat."

"I'm not hungry." I spoke, with a hardened tone.

"Hiro, I'm-"

"I'm. Not. Hungry." I said, before hearing Aunt Cass leave and close the door. When she left, I turned around and studied the plate that had been placed nearby. There was a burger, complete with cheese, onions, and ketchup.

Almost just like Tadashi would have consumed.

There were a pile a fries at the other end of the plate. I hesitantly reached for one of the fries, before picking it up and chewing on it slowly, tasting the saltiness of this particular piece. It left my mouth feeling quite dry, but it wasn't nearly enough to get me out of our- my bedroom to get something to drink.

I looked at the plate, studying the food on it. What I said earlier was true - I wasn't really hungry, but yet I felt so.

Turning away, I faced my computer's screen, which was turned off. My hand reached under the monitor to turn it on, making me blink a little because of how bright the screen was. I looked all over the screen for anything new, before going over to the web browser to open the window I was looking at earlier.

There was a botfight about a quarter hour's walk away from the Lucky Cat Cafe, and it seemed like an easy win. I checked the calendar on my wall, and made sure nothing else was scheduled for tonight. Other than Aunt Cass's poetry night, the schedule was clear until tomorrow.

That's it, I'm going to the fight tonight.

Tadashi's words etched the back of my mind, but I quickly shoved them aside before grabbing my controller. I searched around for the bot, before finding it underneath the bed that has gone cold with no one sleeping in it for days.

I grabbed the metal bot, before wiggling out of the small space. Before returning to my side of the room, I took a glance at the black hat sitting on the edge of the bed.

Small tears began to form in my eyes, before I blunk them away. I looked at Megabot in my hand, before looking back at the hat. I knew that with going to the botfight tonight, I would be going against almost all that Tadashi had taught me.

But, what's the point of listening to his words, now that he's gone?

I forced myself to go back to the other side of the room, before shutting the divider that hid the bed from sight. Sighing slightly, I sat down on my computer chair, placed the robot on the ground, and turned on my controller.

"Alright, Megabot, let's get some training in for the fight tonight." I whispered, before moving the joystick around a little. The black, shiny bot wiggled in place as I pressed some buttons, before the three sections seperated themselves.

I messed around with the robot for a little while, maybe for an hour, before I heard a figure walking up the stairs. I quickly put the robot back together, before hiding the controller and the bot behind the computer monitor. Not soon after, there was a knocking on the door.

"Hiro?" I heard Aunt Cass call out.

"What do you need?" I responded, bitterly.

"Are you done with your food?"

I looked at the plate, which was empty of the fries that occupied it before. The burger was untouched.

"Yeah."

Aunt Cass walked into the room, and picked up the plate.

"You didn't eat your burger." she spoke, with a questioning tone.

"Not hungry." I said, frowning slightly.

"Alright..." Aunt Cass said, trailing off. She walked out of the room, but stopped at the doorway.

"You gotta go to sleep soon, Hiro. You got a long day ahead of you."

"I..." I started to say, before stopping myself, knowing I would choke on my words. "I know." I said, with a hollow tone. Getting up to close the door, I sighed loudly.

"Now to get ready for tonight..." I whispered to myself, before putting on the navy blue hoodie that laid on the top of my bed. I wiggled in it, making sure there were no parts rolled up. There wasn't, so I went to go place the robot and its controller into my pocket. I also placed the key to the front door into the opposite pocket, along with the small handful of cash piled next to the keyboard.

Sitting down onto the computer chair, I turn on the monitor and checked the time of when participants needed to arrive for the fight.

6:30, sharp and on the point. The fight lasted until 8, which left me enough time to get home by 8:30.

I looked down at the time, and saw that it was 5:42. I had to leave in 18 minutes! I quickly decided I would leave early, and came up with an excuse to go out: to go on a walk. I turned off my monitor, before opening my door to head downstairs.

Apparently Aunt Cass was suprised that I was out of my room, since she stopped me on my way out. "Hiro, where are you going?" she asked, curiously.

"I'm just gonna go on a walk to clear my mind, okay?" I replied, offering a small fake smile as I walked outside and onto the streets. As I walked out of sight of the cafe, I grabbed the smartphone out of my pocket that resided in there, unused for days, and set my GPS to the fight across town.


	2. The Warm, Welcoming Feeling

Cars of many colors, shapes, and sizes rolled past me as I walked down the sidewalk. The air seemed to have a bit of a bite to it, but I really didn't mind as I kept going. It took a while to get to the street that led to where I needed to be, but I arrived about a half hour early.

I looked down at the screen on my phone, and it confirmed that I was at my destination. I glanced up at the small house-like building, before going to the site for special instructions to get in. Knock, say that I'm looking for a place to stay the night, then I'm in.

Seems simple enough. I walked up to the door, and knocked on the dark door. There was a silence, before the door opened just a crack.

"Wh' you here, kid?" a feminine voice asked, in a punk-like way.

"I'm just looking for a place to stay the night." I replied. This made the door swing open, revealing a person very familiar to me: it was her, the pink-haired kid from the last bot fight I've been to.

"C'mon in, let me show you the way." she said, letting me inside and closing the door. "You're awful early."

"I know, I know. But I had to find an excuse to go, and looks like a walk was the way to go. Surprisingly, it took me less time than I thought to get here." I spoke, smiling slightly. The first legit smile I have had in a long time.

My feet tapped lightly against the stairs leading to the basement, and I took in a deep breath. The familiar sounds of soft machines whirring brought an almost odd calming feeling to me, like it was trying to pull me in again.

When my feet hit the basement floor, I heard a single voice in my head. The words spoken were very familiar to me, and I knew who it came from - Tadashi. His words of scolding me to never botfight again clouded my mind, making it hard to shake it off. As I walked deeper and deeper into the basement, the foggy thoughts seemed to dicipate. I felt a pang of guilt, but it was shaken out easily.

It was quite a while before more and more people arrived, all with their bots and their controllers. I felt oddly at home, when others - expecially one certain other - would classify this as dangerous and unsafe.

"Alright, everyone, it's time to start the fight!" the lady from earlier announced, as everyone started to gather around a white circle. More calming feeling washed over me as I pushed towards the inner circle, eager to start the first battle of a long time. The warm and welcoming feeling was very calming to me, for it was so familiar and so nice.

"First fighters, please take your place!" she said, as I instinctfully sat down on the floor, fumbling in my pocket and struggling to pull out Megabot. I looked at the yellow face, which seemed awfully happy for the situation that it is in. Another woman, one I have never met before, sat across from me, and placed her large and intimidating robot in front of her.

My hands started to tingle with excitement. I pulled out the small, bunched up cash in my pocket and plopped it on the tray, before smiling.

"As it always has been, two bots enter, one bot leaves. Fighters, are you ready?" the woman announced, as she placed the large umbrella, blocking my view of the opponent.

"Ready." we both said, in unison.

"Ready, go!" she cheered, lifting the blocking object up. I started my display with the limp bot, as always. When the enemy's bot had walked up to it curiously, that is when I started my game. The yellow face changed to its red one, before splitting apart. The three sections danced around the arena, before rolling up the side of the enemy's bot.

The bottom and middle sections of the robot started its thing with removing the arms first, then disabling the legs. I laughed a little in triumph, before leading the top part of the bot to rip off the head of the other bot.

I looked up from my controller, barely containing the face-splitting grin that wants to wriggle its way onto my face. My opponent looked at her robot in shock, barely believing what she saw. The poor bot was torn apart, like a little child came by and played with it in the wrong way.

"Good game." I heard her say, before I stood up to dust off my pants.

"Sorry 'bout the loss. It's fair game, though." I said, chuckling a little before collecting the pile of money on the tray. "Good game."

I looked down at the time on my phone, and saw that it was 6:42. It's been about an hour since I left. I knew I had to get home sometime soon, so I had to think of an excuse to leave early. After a bout of thinking, I came up with the perfect excuse... that was also true.

I headed towards the stairs, and was not stopped at all. My feet tapped up the small stairs before stopping, then a small shuffle of my feet turning suddenly to go out the door. When I got outside, I placed Megabot in my pocket, along with my winnings and the controller.

The sun just started to set as I walked down the street, which was way quieter than it was earlier. I took a deep breath of air, and smelled a mix of fresh cherry blossoms mixed with the soft tinge of car exhaust. As I walked down the street, I kept kicking around this small rock to keep me occupied.

It didn't take too long for me to reach the cafe. I opened the door, and smiled softly at Aunt Cass, who was getting everything ready for poetry night.

"Welcome back, Hiro. How was the walk?" Aunt Cass asked, before walking up to me to give me a hug.

"I'm feeling quite better. The walk really helped me loosen up." I replied, half lying. The walk did help me with clearing my mind, but botfighting did most of the work.

"You seem a lot better. D'you want to join me for beat poetry night?" Aunt Cass questioned, in a happy tone.

"Y'know what? That sounds like a great plan." I said, smiling softly.


	3. Microbots?

"Fantastic!" I cheered, smiling.

"I got some material you could read. Or you could write your own, if you'd like." Aunt Cass spoke, handing me a small binder full of papers.

I opened the binder and flipped through the various poems. There were ones about love, those about adventure, and even some were written bilingually - in English and in Japanese.

A while later, I settled upon one. I felt that the poem's theme, death, was quite fitting. "Aunt Cass, got one." I said, tearing the page out of the binder and closing it.

"Which? Or do you want it to be a surprise?" Aunt Cass asked, taking the binder before leaving to put it away, and coming back.

"A surprise." I replied, smiling softly. The smile quickly changed into a small frown. I quickly hid it by smiling a little stronger. There was silence between us, before people started to show up at the door. Some held pieces of paper, some held tablets, and some held nothing.

"People have arrived!" Aunt Cass chimed, before going up to the door and opening it. "Welcome, welcome, welcome everyone. Please take a seat, and enjoy some treats." she added, before whisking herself to the back room and grabbing a plate of treats that she had prepared earlier.

More people came into the cafe, before the flow of people slowed to a stop. "Alright, everyone, welcome to poetry night. I cannot wait to hear what everyone has brought!" Aunt Cass said, cheerfully.

"Aunt Cass? Can I share mine first?" I asked, raising the paper high into the air.

"Go ahead, Hiro." she responded. I walked up to the wall opposite of everyone, dragged a chair up, and sat down.

"The piece I chose tonight to share is... uh... it's by Christina A. Covarrubia." I stuttered out, as I felt tears form in my eyes. I blinked them away, before taking in a deep breath.

> "Day by day I think of you,
> 
> How can all of this be true?
> 
> I can't believe you're really gone,
> 
> I still can't accept it,
> 
> Even after so long.
> 
> Just the thought of you makes me cry,
> 
> I never even got the chance to say goodbye.
> 
> Every picture, every letter,
> 
> I don't know if it will ever get better.
> 
> I always smell your familiar scent,
> 
> It makes me think of all of the times we've spent.
> 
> I know we didn't always get along,
> 
> And every time we talked, it would always go wrong.
> 
> So many things I never got to say,
> 
> I never imagined you'd ever be so far away.
> 
> You were my brother,
> 
> And I loved you like no other.
> 
> In my heart you'll always be."

I stopped reading the poem when I felt a knot in my throat form. At the same moment, I heard a faint flowing sound just outside the cafe. It sounded like thousands of beads falling into a bucket of more beads, if mentioned beads were made out of lightweight metal.

I turned my head toward the window, and saw the glint and glitter of thousands of tiny black robots flowing by. Not so long after, I saw a humanoid figure in a dark brown coat, which I could guess was black because of the yellow tint of the streetlights. It turned to look at me, revealing a white and red traditional theater mask with mustard yellow eyes.

The figure stared at me for a couple seconds, before continuing on its path.

"Aunt Cass?" I asked, with a shaky voice.

"Yes, Hiro?" she said, coming over to my side and laying a hand on my shoulder. I felt many pairs of eyes lay on me, hopefully in a comforting way.

"I... I need to go on another walk..." I struggled to say, before standing up from the chair.

"Alright. But be back by ten thirty, okay?" she replied, offering a small smile. With a thanking nod, I ran out the door and followed the flowing noise.

I chased it for a while, before hearing it end in an alleyway. The faint, pleading words of my brother clawed at the back of my mind. "Don't go in there, Hiro! Don't go in there!" it said, with a strong sense of urgency.

Though, my curiosity got the best of me when I took a step inside. I saw the smaller, silvery glints up close this time. They were... microbots? But, they can't be my microbots! They were destroyed in the fire! Unless...

The small glints of the tiny robots rushed around me, as they went up to block my only exit. My legs started to shake greatly, as I thought of a way out. The alleyway's a dead end. I couldn't go the way I came, and it seemed way too hard to try to scale the smooth surface that blocked the easiest way to escape.

"Hello, Hiro." a voice said. It was obviously put through some sort of filter, for it sounded deep and distorted.

"H-How do you know my name?" I asked, stuttering on my words.

"Oh, Hiro, I know so much about you... and your brother." the voice taunted, before the figure I saw earlier revealed itself from the shadows. "And, I know how to bring him back."

My face tightened into a snarl. "How am I supposed to trust you?" I hissed. The masked man chuckled softly, before sighing.

"Hiro. I know how to bring your brother back. I will bring him back... under one condition. If you help me, I will help you." he said. I only guessed he was smirking underneath the mask.

His words left me in silence. If he really could bring Tadashi back, should I really trust him and help him? I closed my eyes, and thought hard. As I did, I heard a prominent voice in my mind. It was Tadashi.

"Hiro, don't do it!" he said. "You know Aunt Cass'll be mad! What would Mom and Dad think of this, if they were alive?"

After more silence, my lips parted, revealing my answer. "Alright. I'll help you. But under one condition."

"Yes?" the man asked, curiously.

"How the hell did you get my microbots?" I inquired, with a frown.

"All will be answered tomorrow. Tomorrow, at sundown, meet me at the docks. We will talk then." he replied, before letting the microbot wall fall behind me. I turned to leave, but was stopped suddenly by the microbots.

"Take one before you leave. You'll know where to go if you follow it."

"Okay." I said, taking off one of the microbots and holding it tightly in my hand. The barrier fell yet again, and I proceeded on my way home.

I walked away from the alley, with the small microbot firmly gripped in my hand. I could feel my ears being tugged at, and my head being thunked hard. My mind started to echo with Tadashi's scolding words. I shook them off, and walked back to the cafe with a fake happy expression.


	4. Goodbye, Tadashi [Part 1]

The tiny bell rung above the front door as I walked in. Someone was sharing a poem, but I didn't bother to listen as I made a straight line towards the back door that led into the loft I lived in.

"Hey, Hiro." Aunt Cass said, following behind. "You alright?"

"I'm... I'm fine, Aunt Cass. I'm just gonna go to sleep early, alright?" I replied, offering a fake smile.

"Alright. I'll be waking you up in the morning to get dressed." she said, before turning to go back to the group of people who have arrived for poetry night.

I opened the door, before walking up the stairs and into the living room. Just then, my stomach clawed in hunger and a slight tinge of sickness. 

Maybe I should have eaten more dinner before going to that bot fight.

I walk into the kitchen, before flipping a switch that turned on the lights. They made me blink a little, but my eyes adjusted before I looked around. The counter was empty, and the table was set up for three people: Aunt Cass, Tadashi, and I.

My eyes started to water in sadness, but I quickly blank the tears away before going into the refrigerator. I opened the white door, revealing the food that laid within, waiting to be consumed. I scanned over the items inside, before settling on a foil-wrapped item, labeled 'Hiro' in black sharpie on a red sticky note.

I picked up the item, and squished it softly, trying to determine what was inside. After a short bout, I felt the meat patty inside. Yes, this was the burger I simply refused to eat earlier. I unwrapped it, before removing the cold cheeseburger from the wrapping.

I took a quick bite out of it, before closing the refrigerator door. I disposed of the silvery wrapper, before heading upstairs and into my bedroom.

The divider was still closed from when I closed it earlier. A small smile found its way onto my face, before I walked down to my bed and sat on it. I ate the rest of the burger that was still in my hands, before sighing a little.

I took off my hoodie, and placed it on my computer chair. I then walked over to my bed, and lied down. Changing into night clothes seemed quite the task for me, so I just didn't bother at all with changing. I grabbed the corner of my blanket, drew it over my body, and shut my eyes to sleep.

\---「the next morning...」---

There was a warm hand on my ankle, shaking my leg gently. I hopped up in my bed, hoping that Tadashi was there.

No, Tadashi is still gone. It was Aunt Cass, with a small smile. From my past experiences, I could tell that it was probably either a fake smile, or a sad smile.

"Wake up, Hiro. You got to get changed. We have to leave in twenty minutes to get to the funeral home." she spoke, voice hollow.

I sighed softly, before nodding. "Alright." I replied, before getting up. Shooing Aunt Cass out of the room, I turned to my closet and opened it. It didn't take me long to find my black suit, still fresh and in the bag.

I reluctantly changed into the formal outfit, before disposing of the clothes that I wore before. Looking around a little for my black tie, I found it hanging on a hanger not that far from where my suit hung.

Sighing, I grabbed the tie off of the hanger. I wrapped it around my neck, before doing a four-hand knot and pushing the knot closer to my neck. I tightened it a little tighter than normal, in hopes that it would stay tied for the entirety of the day.

I walked over to the mirror in the center of the room. My hair was slightly tangled in a mess, but other than that, I looked completely fine. Fine enough to go to a formal occasion... wait, I'm already going to a formal occasion...

"Aunt Cass, I'm done." I called out, before opening the door and heading downstairs. It wasn't long before I arrived at the cafe, and Aunt Cass was waiting for me at the table nearest to the front door.

I walked over to her, and sat down. "Where's my dress shoes?" I asked, after a bout of silence.

"Just behind the door in the back. Still in the box." Aunt Cass responded.

I stood up, and walked to the back door with a sense of reluctance. My feet seemed to get heavier and heavier as I neared the back door, before opening it.

It took me a while, but I found the black dress shoes on the shelf just a bit over my head. I stood on my toes to grab them, before stumbling back slightly.

My eyes started to get moist with tears as I put my shoes on, getting heavy enough to form teardrops that fell down my face as I walked back out to where Aunt Cass was still sitting down.

"They're not here yet?" I asked, looking out the window. 

"No, not yet. They should be here soon." she said, before looking out as well. The sky started to weep, sending small water droplets down onto the black pavement of the roads outside.

There was a small silence between us, before I saw a familiar cream-colored van approach the cafe. "They're here." I said, taking in a deep and shaky breath.

Both Aunt Cass and I stood up. We walked silently out the door, and stood under the canopy of the entrance while watching the van loom closer.

A sense of dread started to wrap around me. My heart seemed real heavy, and it felt hard to breath. I wanted to go to the funeral, to say my goodbyes to Tadashi; but at the same time, I wanted to stay home and just bury myself away in my room.

At least, until sundown.

The van eventually pulled up to where Aunt Cass and I were standing. The door opened, revealing both Honey Lemon, in her black dress with a white frill, and Gogo, in an all-black outfit.

I stepped into the van first, taking the vacant seat farthest away from anyone else. Aunt Cass followed, taking the seat to my right. Hearing the van door close, I felt a feeling in my throat. That kind of feeling... when someone punched you right in the throat and it burns.

Taking a look at everyone in the van, I sent an acknowledging nod to everyone before burying my face in my hands, softly crying as the van started to move again.


	5. Goodbye, Tadashi [Part 2]

I felt a hand on the back of my shoulder after a long while.

"Hiro, we're here." I heard someone say, before grabbing my arm and shaking it slightly. "C'mon, let's get going. We don't have much time."

With a reluctance, I unbuckled myself and slowly got up, before rubbing my eyes to see who had told me that we'd arrived. It was Honey, and she had turned to leave out the side of the van.

I followed behind, having to depend on the seating of the van for support. My legs were weak, and felt like they could give way any minute as I slowly got out of the creamy vehicle.

"Hiro, are you- do you need help?" Aunt Cass asked, rushing to my side. I nodded slightly, before wrapping my right arm around her. Getting up slightly, I started to hobble towards the doors of the funeral home, leaning on Aunt Cass for support.

My feet hit the marble-like stairs as I felt tears falling from my eyes. It felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest, and getting the wind knocked out of my lungs. The dread of stepping inside the damned building was tearing me up inside. Emotions inside of me thrashed around, making me feel light headed as someone else - presumably Honey because of the short and blonde hair - opened the door, leading Aunt Cass, the rest of the crew, and I inside the building.

The bright lights of the hallway made my eyes flutter slightly as my eyes adjusted to the light. I detached from Aunt Cass, before leaning against the off-white wall of the hallway of the funeral home.

I fluttered my eyes closed, and focused on staying conscious. My head felt very light, and my legs were weak. I heard few faint words, some coming from Aunt Cass, some from a guy I knew - either Fred or Wasabi - and some from an unknown entity.

"Are you here to schedule, or to attend today's services?" the entity asked.

"Attending. We're with..." the familiar male voice said, before I heard a hushing noise.

"Hamada." Aunt Cass said, with a bit of hesitance.

"Ah. Everything is ready to go. You are a bit late, but..." the entity said, trailing off.

When he did, I felt myself become fuzzy. I slowly started to slide toward the ground, before ultimately collapsing under my own weight.

"Hiro!" I heard a bunch of voices say, before I felt 6 entities rush toward me. One scooped me up into its arms. The hand of another went to my eye, forcing it to open.

"Hiro, are you alright?" someone said, as I stirred slightly.

"Outside... fresh... before..." I managed to say, before feeling like passing out.

"Befo- Oh, who am I kidding! We're going outside, Hiro." I heard a feminine voice sternly state, before feeling myself being transferred from one pair of arms to another. Then, I felt the warmness of the indoors switch suddenly to the cold and dampness of the outdoor atmosphere.

When I got outside, I almost instantly felt better. I started to get a feeling of where I was, and some strength returned to my legs. After a short bit, my eyes fluttered open. I looked up, and saw Aunt Cass holding me tight.

"I'm... I'm feeling quite better..." I said, before struggling to detach from her grip and stand upon the ground. It was successful, as I felt my feet slam against the cold, hard concrete.

"Hiro, are you alright? D'you need to stay outside for a little? We can go ahead and st-"

"I want to be there for everyt-t-thing... please... just about five minutes?" I asked, offering a tiny smile of reassurance.

"Alright, but I'm staying out with you." she responded.

There was silence between the two of us as I focused on my breathing. Deep breath; take it in for 5 seconds, hold it for 2, exhale for 5. Repeat.

Five minutes seemed to have passed quickly. I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

"Come on, Hiro. It's... it's time. Everyone's waiting for you inside." Aunt Cass said, before wrapping her left arm around my waist. "And this time, no letting go. If I go up, you go up. And vice-versa." she added.

I wrapped my right arm around her waist, and we started walking up the stairs. When we got inside, everyone was waiting against the opposite wall.

"Are you alright, Hiro?" Honey asked, coming up to me and inspecting my face.

"I'm... I'm alright. Trust me." I said, sort of redundantly.

I heard a door open, and a figure stepped towards the group.

"Ah, glad to see the kid's better." the figure said, before nodding quickly. "The minister is ready."

My eyes started to water, before I blunk away the tears. Aunt Cass looked down at me, and nodded. I nodded in response, and at once, everyone started to file into the room.

I felt my heart start to beat hard when I saw the wooden casket at the other end of the room. The front part of the lid was open, revealing soft, white silky material.

And, ultimately, Tadashi's... T-Ta-Tadashi's...

The tears did not cease to stop as Aunt Cass and I neared the casket. My steps became ever so heavier in protest as we loomed closer. We eventually reached the wooden... the wooden box of... the wooden box of death. I knew that we were there when Aunt Cass whispered in my ear.

"H-H-Hi-Hiro... this'll be your last chance t-t-t-to say goodbye t-t-to Tadashi..." she choked, studdering on her own words.

I briefly disconnected from Aunt Cass to rub away the tears from my eyes. When I did, my eyes widened in sheer horror.

Large spots on his face and his neck were charcoal black from the fire. Tadashi's hair was singed in many places, leaving few spots of perfect hair. His hands were folded neatly against his chest, which were charred from the fire as well.

Almost as soon as I saw what was inside, I buried my face into Aunt Cass and started to cry uncontrollably.

I want to leave already. Why can't it be sundown? Why?

I felt Aunt Cass pick me up, before taking me over to the front row of seats. She sat down, before I adjusted myself to cry into her shoulder.


	6. Goodbye, Tadashi [Part 3]

The silence of the room was interjected with the loud, ugly crying that I was doing. After a while, there was the quite noisy tapping of papers, and a quick tap on wood.

"Hiro..." Aunt Cass cooed softly, wiggling slightly to get my attention. I looked up at her, face sore from all the crying. She tilted her head forward, nodded, and looked up.

I struggled to detatch myself from Aunt Cass, before stumbling to take the seat next to me. I held onto Aunt Cass with my life, not wanting to look forward. I buried my face into her shoulder, but she shrugged me off. With nowhere to hide my face, I glued my gaze onto the minister, who was at the pedestal.

As long as my gaze never shifted, I should be fine.

"Dear friends..." the minister said, with a voice that soothed me. "... and beloved family..." he added, before sighing. "We are gathered here today to... to mourn the loss of a great and dear friend, a fantastic robotic master, but above all... the best big brother one could ask for."

The tears did not cease to stop streaming down my face as the minister talked on. His words became slurred in my mind, and everything began to felt fuzzy once more.

I was pulled from the fuzziness of a near-fainting experience when Aunt Cass stood up. She reached out for my hand, and I held onto it. Pulling me up, she nodded.

"Hold on, Hiro." she said, before grabbing onto my waist with her arm. I did the same, and Aunt Cass started to slowly walk to the pedestal.

"A... Aunt Cass, please! No!" I started to cry out, feeling a burning sensation in my throat. 

"Come on, Hiro..." Aunt Cass scolded softly, before taking the center stage.

"Friends, I am both saddened by the recent events, and honored with your presence. Without you, Hiro and I would have..." I heard her say, before feeling very dizzy again.

Without a struggle, I fell down to the floor, hitting it hard. I heard a panicked entity cry out "Hiro!" before falling unconcious.

\---

When I awoke next, I was lying in the front seat of an unfamiliar vehicle. It smelled awfully familiar, but felt so very different.

"Hiro, you're awake!" someone called out, before approaching me. The closer the figure came, the better I could tell who it was.

Not soon after, it was easy to tell who it was - short, black hair with a purple streak on the bangs. It was Gogo, and she looked very relieved.

"This is the second time you have blacked out today. Please, try to stay strong. We're almost done with the services - all that is left is... uh... putting the box in the ground..." she stuttered, trying to make light of the situation. "Hey, look. We're at the cemetery right now. I'll carry you to the site. Everyone's waiting for you, Hiro."

"I..." I said, before blinking. "Can you... carry me? I... I think if I walk at all, I'll... I'll collapse on myself. Y'know..."

After I said what I said, Gogo did not hesitate to scoop me up into her arms. 

"Hold on." she whispered. I wrapped my arms carefully around her. She started to walk slowly, but ramped up to a jog in a few steps.

In no time, she arrived at a swarm of people, dressed in black. "Aunt Cass... we're here." Gogo stated, before transferring me to Aunt Cass's waiting arms.

"Thank you, Gogo." Aunt Cass stated, before looking down at me. She then directed her gaze ahead.

I refused to look forward as light, mournful music started to play. I heard words from a familiar voice, but did not bother to listen to them as I started to cry uncontrollably.

"Au... Aunt C-C-Cass..." I cried out.

"Yes, Hiro?" she asked.

"I wanna... I wanna go home. I wanna go h... I wanna leave. I wanna go home." I repeated over and over. My words were muffled with sobs.

"But Hiro... we can't-"

"I want to leave!" I exclaimed, before struggling to relieve myself of Aunt Cass's grasp. It was somewhat successful, as I freed myself from her arms, before falling backwards and onto the soft, mushy ground.

I stumbled up to my feet, before running away from the group of people gathered around.

"Hiro!" I heard Aunt Cass say, followed by footsteps following. It was quickly stopped when I glanced back.

Aunt Cass was being held back by both Gogo and Honey - who were speaking soft words to her. All I could make out was Honey saying "Let Hiro go. He'd know his way home."

I nodded a quick thanks, before turning my attention forward and running straight towards the cemetery gates. When I arrived, I leaned on one of the posts on the outside to catch my breath.

After a few minutes passed, I started running my way home. I turned down this street, took a breath on another, and nearly slipped on a few slabs of stone.

It was a while - I guess it was about fifteen minutes - before I reached the familiar street leading to the Lucky Cat Cafe. My run slowed down to a walk as I neared the door.

Reaching the door, I took a few heavy breaths before opening it. The warmness of the interior felt way too hot against myself - with the waterlogged clothes cooling me down.

My mind thought of ways to get me dryer before sundown, and the best way was to change into a new set of clothes... and wrap my hair into a towl.

I walked upstairs, and into my bedroom. The dripping rainwater left a trail behind me, so I made a mental note to dry it up when I complete changing.

Struggling to get my tie off, I slipped slightly on the wood. It sent me back, crashing into the divider across the room. I hissed slightly, before managing to loosen the knot to a point where I could slide it out with ease.

Undoing the knot, I carefully stood up to fix the divider. Other than a slightly torn paper panel, everything seemed to be okay. I peeked through the hole, before turning away. 

It didn't take me too long to change from my sopping wet formal attire to a more casual wear - which was exactly what I wore yesterday. I quickly disposed of the wet clothing, before heading out to the linen closet to grab a towel.

I quickly dried up the trail I left when I came in, before wrapping it on my head to dry my hair. I headed up to my room, and just as I did, I heard voices downstairs. Five voices. Aunt Cass and the others were home.


	7. Running Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Title: Recovery

My instincts told me to run and hide.

But I already ran, and I already hid myself from everyone.

I walked over to the closed door sealing the bedrooms off from the main living space, and placed my palm flat onto the wooden surface. After a few seconds, I put my ear against it, listening for voices.

"I... I feel sorry for Hiro... it must be hurting him the most..." I heard Fred say. I looked down at my feet, before silently nodding in agreement.

"I'm really sorry for your guys' loss." another voice said, but I couldn't tell who it was. It wasn't Wasabi or Fred - no, the voice was way too feminine. It couldn't be Aunt Cass, for why would she say it to herself?

Wait... I momentarily forgot about the 'nerd lab' and how closely knit the friendships were.

I sighed softly, before heading back upstairs. Before heading into the room, I took a look back at the door I was just at.

Thoughts ran across my mind of the group on the other side. One is whether I should join them or not - but if I did, I would have to change into something a little nicer than my day clothes, and something black. I quickly decided not to join them, for I would be a lot more comfortable traveling to the docks with loose-fitting clothes on.

Another was about a little earlier, when I passed out for the second time. What happened to me? Where was I when I woke up? And, most of all, why was I in the place where I woke up? Shouldn't I be in the van? Or, more importantly, the hospital?

I shook the second thought off, before heading into the bedroom. I slowly walked across the smooth floor, before arriving at the window that looked over my little slice of San Fransokyo. My gaze carefully went up, as I searched for the sun in the sky.

Peeking through the grey clouds, I saw a faint yellow glint of light making its way through the clouds. I attempted to look past the clouds to take a peek at the sky, but was unsuccessful.

After a few tries, I gave up on trying to find the color of the sky. I slowly got up from where I was sitting, before heading over to my computer monitor and turning it on. The page for the fight was still up, letting a small smile sneak its way onto my face.

I closed the tab, before opening a new one. Typing in 'sunset' in the search bar, I got the time of 17:51, or 5:51 PM. With a quick glance at my clock, I saw that it was 13:05. It's been about an hour since noon, and time was going to flow quickly.

I looked back at the screen, before searching around for my phone. I pulled it out of my hoodie after a bout of searching, before heading back towards the computer screen. Sitting on the chair once again, I unlocked my phone before heading to the Clock app.

I quickly set the alarm to go off at 17:40. This should give me enough time to get dressed up better, place the microbot into a small container that it could move around in, head out, and follow the tiny robot to the pier - and, ultimately the man in the mask.

After a chilling silence, I heard a knocking at my door. "Hiro?" a voice asked, questioningly.

"Who is it?" I called back.

"It's... it's all of us, Hiro. I'm just speaking for the group."

I sat in silence for a while, before nodding. 

"What do you want to do with me?" I asked, adding a little emotion.

"We want to talk to you..."

"No." I snapped, adding a bite.

"But Hiro-"

"I said no!" I hissed, before standing up briskly from my chair. I walked - more like stomped - down and towards the door. I opened it briskly, revealing the group behind Honey, who was talking to me through the door.

"No." I said, for the final time. I slammed the door in her face, before thundering back up the stairs. I heard faint words slowly fading away, but I quickly shrugged them out before heading into the bedroom.

I sighed slightly, before heading over to the computer. After a bit of silence, I nodded at myself.

I'm... I'm basically running away! I have to leave a note.

I looked around for my webcam, before finding it hiding behind my monitor. I quickly hooked it up to my computer, before turning on my monitor and going over to the recording app.

Sighing slightly, I thought of what I was wanting to say. I made it up, and hit record.

"This is Hiro Hamada, and it is currently..." I said, before pulling out my phone and checking the time. "...it's currently about 13:11. Or, simply, 1:11 PM. If you are seeing this, Aunt Cass - or Honey Lemon, Gogo Tomago, Fred, and even Wasabi - it..."

I paused slightly, before fumbling with my thumbs.

"...it means that I have ran away, and obviously failed to remove the note on the door telling you to open this file and watch this. I am terribly sorry for everything. I decided that living here, to me, was no more. I will miss every one of you, - and Mochi, - but I feel that this is for the best of my sanity. I may visit from time to time, but I will no longer live here full time."

I looked around a little, before letting a tear drift down my face.

"So... I guess this is goodbye, everyone. Good... goodbye." I said, before reaching to turn off the recording. I played the message back, before sighing in relief. Everything looked fantastic, so I saved the file under the name 'Open me.mp4'.

I looked around for a stickynote and a pen, and found one in no time. I wrote 'Open the file named 'Open me.mp4' on my desktop.', before signing it with my name in a neat writing.

I looked at the clock, and decided that taking a nap was the best way to burn time. Turning off the monitor, I hid the stickynote pad before going to my bed. I drew the covers over me, and went to sleep.


	8. Against His Word

My alarm started to buzz a couple hours later. I shot up, before going over to turn my phone's alarm off. It was 17:40, which meant I had exactly 11 minutes to get everything packed up to go.

I changed into a fresher outfit, consisting of a plain red shirt, my hoodie, and another pair of cargo pants that I just feel the most comfortable in. I checked around for the sticky note pad, before finding it where it was hidden just a while ago.

Sighing slightly, I gently removed the topmost sticky note, before walking over to the door. I pressed my ear against the door, checking for any outdoor sounds.

Nope, nothing.

I opened the door just a crack, and quickly placed the sticky note on it before closing it. I heard some shuffling on the other side, and held my breath. The shuffling seemed to near the door.

Please, don't let it be Aunt Cass!

After a while, the shuffling stopped. There was silence, before a clawing at the door. The clawing was faint, like cat's paws shuffling over the surface.

I sighed in relief when I realized it was Mochi, wanting to come in. I opened the door just a crack, before going back up into my room.

I took a quick look around, and took in a loud sigh. "This may be the last time I see you, room..." I whispered to myself, before going over to my desk and grabbing the phone lying on the ground. I picked up the small pile of dollar bills placed nearby, before searching around for the microbot I acquired last night.

There was a soft clanging of metal against glass as I neared it. I sighed in relief, before picking up a transparent bottle with the tiny, black robot inside. 

"Let's go." I whispered to the microbot, before placing the bottle in my pocket and heading downstairs.

When I entered the main living area, I sighed softly in relief at the sight of no one being there. I looked around for my tennis shoes, before finding them where they have been sitting since I used them not that long ago.

I put them on swiftly, before heading downstairs and into the cafe.

"Hiro!" Aunt Cass called out, from the kitchen. "Is that you?" she asked, before emerging from the room with a plate of macarons, ready to display.

"Y... Yeah, it's me, Aunt Cass. I'm just going to walk to the..." I said, before stopping to think. "...walking to the cemetery to apologize to Tadashi for my behaviors earlier."

"You're going out on walks an awful lot lately, Hiro." Aunt Cass responded, focusing on setting up the macarons on a little display. "You can go out, but you must be here before nine, alright?"

"Alright, Aunt Cass." I replied, sighing in relief. Waving a quick goodbye, I stepped out the door and set course not towards the cemetery, but towards the pier.

I just turned right to get onto the main road when I heard a voice in the back of my head. "Hiro, you promised Aunt Cass you would get back at nine. And you're not even heading towards the cemetery!" the voice said, irritated. I could tell it was Tadashi's, since it had that scolding bite to it.

My feet kept going, turning left and right. "Hiro, stop going to the pier!" the voice said, yet again. "Stop!" it pleaded.

I shook my head violently to stop the voice. When I tried listening to it, I was met with just my thoughts, and my thoughts only.

\---「just a little later...」---

The sun was painting the sky a reddish hue as I arrived at the docks. I pulled out my phone, and checked the time. It was 18:23. Just a smidge past sundown.

I paused at the edge of the pier, before sitting down to give my legs a rest. I went over to my messages, and pulled up the log where Aunt Cass and I were texting eachother back and forth. Sighing slightly, I tapped the text box and entered a quick text.

Did I close the bedroom door?

I waited a little bit for a response.

I don't think so. Want me to go check? 

I smiled slightly. With the sliver of luck that I have, I hoped the sticky note was still on the door.

Yeah

After sending the text, I waited a little more for a text back from Aunt Cass.

Okay. See ya in a little bit

See you.

I sent the last text, before shutting my phone off. I did not want an angry reply hours later, demanding where I was.

Oh, please, Aunt Cass, please read the note and watch the video!

I stretched a little, before standing up and dusting myself off. I pulled out the bottle from my pocket, and studied the tiny robot intently. I followed where it wanted to go. It went right, so I turned right. It wanted to go left, and I turned left.

A minute or so passed before I found myself upon a wooden dock, worn from years of use and waves crashing upon it. I unscrewed the top from the bottle, and let the microbot fly free.

There was a small amount of silence, before the tiny waves began to grow bigger and bigger as I heard a familiar sound; the one of thousands - maybe even millions - of tiny black robots working together to bring something forward.

I inched myself backwards, and eventually met the point where the dock ends and the pavement behind started. I forced myself to stay still as I watched the figure of many robots get closer and closer.

Just as I saw the faint glint and glitter of the mask, I swore I saw Tadashi standing right in front of me. Was it a hallucination? It probably was.

"Hiro. I'm... I'm disappointed in you." he said, with a look like the one like he made that one night he and I were caught from the bot fight - and were sent to the city jail for a few hours.

"T-Ta... Tadashi. I'm..." I started to studder, feeling tears flow from my eyes.

"Hiro. Do not, and I repeat DO NOT do this." Tadashi stated, before walking towards me. He passed right through me, before grabbing my hood.

I did not feel the hood lift, but I did feel the feeling of the collar of it tightening against my throat.

"Just... Tadashi, stop!" I cried out, before turning around and kicking the hallucination right in the legs.

The image disappeared, leaving me wide-eyed. I cried a little, but stopped when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Hiro, you're here." the familiar voice spoke.


	9. Akuma Island

My spine stiffened as I turned around, only to be met with the masked man's face just inches away from mine. I jumped back, before wavering my arms in both habit and defence.

"Who a- Oh, it's you..." I said, before laughing slightly. "Sorry for that..."

"It's no problem." he replied, before nodding. "I'm assuming your here to confirm my offer?"

"Correct." I spoke, nodding. "And, before I do, you have to answer my question."

"Which question?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Of where you got my microbots. You promised that one night that you would answer the question of where you would have gotten my microbots."

"Oh, right. Ah... let me think." the man said, before sitting in a chair formed from microbots. A small bout of silence passed, before he spoke again. "I was in the building when the fire lit. I shielded myself from the fire, before hearing a loud explosion... and the rest... I really don't remember."

My eyes widened. "You... you were in..." I stuttered, before stopping myself to think. He couldn't have known that Ta- I... I mean he couldn't have known my brother had gone in to save Callaghan.

But wait... The woman that night said that everyone had excaped, except... except Callaghan!

"Hiro? Are you alright?" the man asked, as I backed away slightly.

"Are... Doctor Callaghan?" I asked, hesitantly.

The man in the mask hesitated with his reply. "No, I don't know him."

"But he was the only one left in the building!" I exclaimed, before calming myself down. "But maybe that one woman was wrong - there was someone else in there besides him..."

"Yes... yes..." he responded, nodding his head. "I saw an older figure - but I couldn't get to him..."

"But with your microbots-" I started to yell, but was immediately stopped when my mind felt numb. My eyes, no matter how hard I tried, could not look away from the mustard-yellow eyes of the mask, which seemed to flicker quickly.

The flickering stopped, and I could look away again. My mind felt better, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember what had happened in the last thirty seconds or so.

"So, Hiro, are you ready to leave?" he asked.

"Y-yeah... but before we leave, can we take one last trip through San Fransokyo?" I questioned, looking down. "M... More specifically... you know what, never mind. I'm ready to go now."

"Great! Just step onto the microbots, and we can leave." he said, as a platform of microbots rushed in front of me. I took one last look behind me, before nodding. My feet pressed against the microbots, before they wrapped securely around my feet and lower legs.

I was lifted into the air, before being moved towards the water. I lost my balance, falling forward. The only thing keeping me on was the microbots around my lower legs, which seemed to grow to cover the entirety of my legs.

"You alright, Hiro?" the man asked, moving right beside me.

"Yeah, I'm alright." I replied, before we started to move out towards the ocean, and beyond.

I turned my head around, and watched as the warm, familiar glow of San Fransokyo grow dimmer and dimmer. I requested to be turned around to watch it better, and I was. Tears started to grow in my eyes as I saw the lights fade out, before eventually being reduced to a reddish glow.

"Goodbye... Goodbye everyone..." I whispered to the shoreline, before being turned around.

"Hiro, we're almost here." the man in the mask said, before nodding.

"Quick question, just a small one." I said, watching as the faint outline of mountain peaks appear in the distance.

"Yes, Hiro?" he responded, looking at me.

"Who... What may I call you? If... if you don't mind me asking." I asked, smiling slightly.

"I don't mind at all, Hiro!" he responded, chuckling. "And you can call me..."

"Call you what?" I asked, when he stopped speaking.

"Yokai. Call me that. Sorry, had to think." Yokai finally spoke, before nodding. I nodded as well, before smiling.

It was silence between us, before we finally arrived at the rocky shores. There was fencing around an entrance to some sort of building. "Just down here. Follow me, and I'll take you to a lab where you'd be able to construct another microbot - albeit, on a different frequency than mine." Yokai said, before setting me down onto the concrete. The microbots then disappeared from around me, letting me walk independently again.

"Why a different- Oh, right." I said, before laughing silently at myself. 

I let Yokai enter before me, and I followed him through the hallways. We turned left, then right - and left again, before arriving into a control room-like space, overlooking a large testing facility. On the other side of the testing area stood a broken portal - snapped in half, and worn from years of abuse.

"This is the lab I can work with?" I questioned, tilting my head as I studied the area.

"Yes, this is the area. You should be able to find everything you need in here. If you need help, just press the large red button over there. Alright?" he said, motioning towards the red button that laid under a clear cover.

"Alright." I replied, before watching him leave through the door. I quickly snatched one of the tiny microbots, before slamming the door shut.

I looked at the tiny, wiggling microbot gripped in my finger. It seemed to want to excape my grasp, and join its friends that must be so far away.

But I wouldn't let it. I need to modify it.

A yawn managed to excape from my throat. I took out my phone and turned it on, waiting a minute or so for the thing to boot up and do everything it needs to do.

After a short bit, the screen showed me a time of 20:39. I decided that sleep - right now - would be alright. I set the microbot in an empty container with a lid, before lying down on the ground.

The metal felt quite cold, but after a while, it felt nice. It'd take me a while to adjust to living on this island. I could only guess it was Akuma Island, for it was the closest one to San Fransokyo.

I silenced my thoughts, before closing my eyes to go to sleep.


	10. The Micro Robot King

Dusty light fell through the window as my eyes fluttered awake. There was an unfamiliar feeling of metal underneath me before I stood up, dusting myself off. I looked around, taking in the scenery.

I have to get used to this. This is my home now.

I stopped for a little, before shaking my head. I searched for the microbot that I had set aside earlier, looking up and down; inside things and on top of counters.

My search ended when I came upon a dusty control panel, lined across the window that overlooked the area with the broken portal. The microbot - still inside the container - was laid on top of the button I was told about the night before. 

But there was something new beside it.

I walked up to the microbot, before directing my attention to the item that laid right next to it. It was a mask - a white mask. On top of the oval shape were two sharp triangles, to symbolize cat ears. There were mustardy yellow cat eyes where eyes would normally go, and a small, black, and triangular nose just a half-inch or so below the center of the gap between the two eyes. There were deep red markings as well - a 'M' on top, two stripes by the eyes on each side, and four sticking out of the bottom.

I picked up the mask, before finding a note underneath. It was written on a stickynote, in a smallcaps handwriting and black ink. I picked up the stickynote, before placing the mask back where it was.

If you're gonna help me, you're gonna need this - and a new outfit. When you're done with modifying the microbot, call me over.

I nodded, before picking up the microbot and heading back into the area of which I slept, before coming to a work station. I sat down, took out the microbot, and started to work.

After about an hour, I was completely done. I tested it out by placing it on my flat palm, studying it closely. It did not move, save for the movements I made.

It's done!

I smiled at the small robot, before placing it back into the container.

Next thing's next; flagging down Yokai and asking him about my next objective.

I placed down the microbot in its container on top of the mask, before removing the cover from the button. It shimmered in the light, showing off its red hue. After a second of thought, I placed my hand on top of it and pressed firmly down onto it.

There was a slight delay, before it lit up, lighting the room with a red glow. There were the soft call of alarms in the distance, but after a short bout, they were hushed. Silence took over, before I heard a shuffling, paired with footsteps. Not long after, there was a knocking at my door.

"Hiro?" Yokai asked, curiously.

"Come in." I responded. There was a click, before the door opened.

"I see that you're done with modifications?"

"Yes, yes. All done." I replied, before nodding. I handed the microbot in the container to Yokai, before turning to go and pick up the mask. "About the mask..." 

"Ah, yes, and the note below. I'm- we're gonna need to make you unrecognizable. Quickest and easiest way is updating how you look." he replied, nodding subtly. "Put it on, try it out. And follow me." he added, stashing the ensemble I handed him seconds ago.

I looked questioningly at the mask in my hands, before looking back at Yokai. He motioned with his hands to put it on, and I did.

It surprisingly felt very comfortable - like I had nothing on at all. The only thing alerting me of its presence was my somewhat limited field of view. I nodded slightly, before the other patron in the room turned to leave.

I followed close behind. It was hard keeping up with him - the all-black outfit against the dark, metal walls of the facility blended the figure in. The only way I didn't lose him? There wasn't a glitter and gleam for fabrics.

It was about a minute before the swath of cloth stopped at a door, before opening it. "In here, I got your... new outfit inside. It's like mine - but your size and altered slightly." Yokai stated, before letting me step into the room.

When I stepped in, I was amazed at the outfit on the mannequin in the center of the room. He was right - it was like his... with one exception. There were three gigantic microbots down the back.

"Don't worry about back weight, I got that covered. Made of a tough but lightweight material. Controlled by a transmitter, too. Want to try it?" he asked, before picking up a transmitter headband on the desk not far from the outfit.

I nodded quickly.

Yokai handed me the headband, and I lifted up my mask. I blinked slightly at the bright light, before putting on the transmitter and putting the mask back on. After a small silence, the microbots - more like gigabots - on the outfit's wings shot straight up. I wiggled them, laughing slightly at the sight. It was fantastic, like something out a dream!

"How about you go ahead and change into the outfit while I go and have the microbots made?" Yokai asked, before turning to leave the room. I kept playing with the gigabots, before taking off both the transmitter and the mask.

I took off my hoodie, and immediately felt a bite to the air. I quickly adjusted, before grabbing the coat off the mannequin to gain access to the black items underneath.

He was right. The gigabots were lighter.

I placed the coat on the chair nearby, before unzipping the zipper on the black body piece. Without a slight delay, I quickly changed from my red shirt and cargo pants into the piece I had recently taken off.

I searched around for a mirror, and found one not too far. I looked at myself in it, while zipping up the main part. The top was a bit of a struggle, but I managed to zip it all the way up before putting on the hood on the body piece that squished all of my hair to my head, and in turn, the coat that laid on the chair.

I looked around for any other pieces. There were two - a pair of black gloves and a pair of boots that reached up high. I put on the boots before the gloves.

Just as I did, though, there was a knocking on the door.

"Come in."

Yokai opened the door, before sighing. "Okay, good, it fits. Everything fits. Now, put on the transmitter and the mask."

I picked up the transmitter, resting it on my forehead before grabbing the mask and putting it on. I made the wings of the top gigabot straight up - so that they showed on my shoulders. I put the middle wings to the sides, and the bottom were at rest.

Yokai nodded in approval, before stepping behind me and picking up a yardstick. He walked back to me, before tapping the tip of the yardstick to my shoulders.

"I hereby dub thy Hiro, the Micro Robot King."


	11. Artificial Slumber

A small giggle rose from my throat. "A king?"

"A king. You also need a new name, you know?" Yokai responded, before leaving the room. I trailed behind, letting the gigabots on my back fall into a relaxed position. He stopped, before turning to look at me. "Any reason why you're following?"

"Not really. I have nothing to do, really." I replied, nodding.

Yokai met me with silence, before nodding.

"Well, since you're assisting me, might as well know the plan." he said, before facing forward again. "Follow me back to the control room, and I'll talk to you about it there."

I nodded, before smiling underneath my mask. "Alright." I spoke, before following him around the various bends to get to the control room again.

It took a while, but we eventually reached the door where we needed to be.

As always, Yokai let me into the room, before stepping in and around me. He walked over to the control panels, befor grabbing hold of two seats - one for me, and one for him. I sat down in one of the seats, and Yokai sat across from me.

"I'm pretty sure you already know about the microbots, correct?"

"Correct."

"Okay, alright. After all of the microbots have been finished being made, we're going out and retrieving the pieces of the portal. I have them buried deep in the ocean, undetectable by virtually any federal authorities. You following?"

I paused when Yokai had mentioned the part of being undetectable to federal authorities. My mind pondered on the thought, before coming to the conclusion that the thing that I had signed up to do was - in fact - illegal in every way.

But maybe it wasn't.

I nodded my head, before replying. "Yes, still with you."

"Okay, good." Yokai said, nodding in reply. "Once all the pieces of the portal are in place, it should be time for the opening of the new Krei Tech building downtown. We come in - I'd hold the portal up while you defend - and put the portal pieces together, causing the entire place to be torn up and disappear into the portal."

My eyes widened with the last sentence he had said. My thoughts earlier were correct - this is purely illegal. I'd never do anything like this.

Now, botfighting I would do. But this? This... I would never do. Not in a thousand years.

"I..." I said, small.

"Yes, Hiro?" Yokai responded, leaning in closer.

"I will not do this."

"Hiro." he responded, angrily. "You promised you would assist me. But now you say you will not help. Do you have a problem with this?"

"I do. This is... This is absolute tyranny..." I spoke, getting rash with my voice as well.

"Hiro!" Yokai exclaimed, before growling.

The eyes on his mask started to flicker, getting faster and faster with each passing second. My mind felt instantly numb, and I began to feel like I have the day before at Tadashi's services - lightheaded, nauseated. It wasn't long before I fell out of my chair, before falling unconcious.

\---「a little while later...」---

I awoke to the sounds of small motors whirring. My senses came with a delay, and I soon felt myself bolted down in a chair. There were restraints on my legs, on my wrists, around my chest, and around the top of my head. My coat was hanging on the far wall, and all that was left on me was the black bodysuit and the boots.

"Hiro... you're awake." an unfamiliar feminine voice spoke. She revealed herself from the shadows, before nodding.

She wore an all-white kimono, with traditional makeup obscuring her face. She also had a surgical mask over her mouth and nose, and had one hand right behind her.

"Wh... Who are you? And why do you have me locked down?" I demanded, before watching her come around me - and the thing she was carrying behind came along. It was a flat tray, with various surgical instruments wrapped up in a plastic wrapping.

That was when I started to go into a full-on panic.

"Don't fret, young one. It won't take too long." she replied, before reaching below the cart to grab a bottle and a rag. I couldn't see the bottle, for tears were blurring up my vision. "I'm just going to implant a little something-something. Trust me, you're in good hands."

If my head wasn't bolted down - if I weren't bolted down, I would be trying to excape and run for my life.

I watched as the woman opened the bottle, before bringing the rag to it and pouring whatever liquid was contained inside onto the rag. "Now, I want you to breathe this in, alright?"

"N-No!" I screamed out, struggling against my constraints. She turned to look at me, before bringing the soaked rag to my face. "N-n..." I repeated, before taking in a breath. My mind went numb, and I instantly felt fuzzy and warm.

"There you go..." the woman said, smiling. I kept breathing in whatever was on the rag, before falling into a deep sleep.

\---「a little while later...」---

I awoke in the control room I was in just not that long ago. I was in my new outfit - mask and all - but something on the top of my head felt different. 

"Hiro, you've awoken." a familiar voice spoke to me. I looked up, before seeing Yokai standing right in front of me. He whispered out something under his breath, but I didn't bother to listen as he sat down across from me.

"You told me you would help me to get your brother back, correct?"

"Correct."

"We would have to take down Krei Tech in order for you to fulfill my wish - and so you could fulfill yours. Alright? I have pieces of the first part of Silent Sparrow awating in the ocean around this island."

"But isn't that-" I started to protest, before feeling a sharp pain in the top of my head.

"Isn't that what?" Yokai inquired.

"Isn't that kind of a problem? The pieces might be waterlogged and everything." I said, completely forgetting what I was originally going to say.

"Good..." Yokai said, before nodding. He explained the rest of his plan to me, and I agreed with everything. Even though some of the things just felt wrong.


	12. Just Off Shore

I kept listening intently, before shuffling in surprise when Yokai stood up.

"And, now that you know that, I need to tell you how to do it." he said, before walking over to the door. I got up with a delay, before stepping outside the door and following him through the halls.

"Now, what I want you to do may seem easy, but it's gonna be real hard."

I nodded, before responding with a low hum, deep in the back of my throat.

"I'm going to take the transmitter out of my mask, then give the transmitter to you. You will then take both of us out to the location of the first piece, and then I'll tell you what to do. Alright?"

"Alright... but how would I know where the portal piece-" I started to respond, before feeling a sharp pain on the top of my head. After a short while it was gone, and I felt slightly smarter.

"Now do you know where it is?" Yokai asked, before opening the door that lead outside.

"Yeah, I know where it is. Just about a half-mile offshore of the docks." I replied, nodding. The brightness of the outdoor light blinded me momentarily, but I blunk it off before stepping a little farther outside.

I stopped, before turning around when I noticed I wasn't following anyone anymore. My eyes sought out for Yokai. My searches were unsuccessful until I saw him emerge from the shadows near the building. He held a silvery object in his right hand - of which I presumed was the neurocranial transmitter.

"Here's the transmitter." he spoke, before handing me the transmitter. I nodded, before lifting my mask and slipping on the transmitter just above the one used for the gigabots on my back. I waited a little, before parting my lips slightly. I nudged my mask down, before nodding.

"Where's the microbots?" I asked, after a bit of silence.

"They'll get here sooner or later." Yokai responded. And, just at that moment, I heard the rush of many small robots rush toward me. I saw glints of metal grates shoot up into the air, followed by a black swarm of microbots.

"Ah, there they are." he said, before the microbots reached us. I wrapped my legs up in microbots, before wrapping up Yokai's and lifting both of us into the air. "Now, take us to the docks."

I nodded, before making the microbots carry both of us off of the island, and over the ocean. There was a silence, before I saw the silhouette of the city appear and grow. Something in the back of my mind - and deep in my heart - was telling me to ditch everything and return to Aunt Cass, and to beg for her forgiveness.

The only thing keeping me from doing so was the fear of feeling the pain in my head whenever I did something that was apparently incorrect. I shook my head, and stopped moving towards the shoreline when a numb feeling was making its presence known.

"Here." Yokai said, before looking down. "The piece should be down here somewhere - just feel around for it with the microbots. Okay?"

"Okay." I replied. I commanded the microbots to go underneath the water, and started to feel around for the piece of the portal. My search stopped when the black flurry had some trouble getting over one silvery object.

"There it is! Now, pick it up and take it back to the island."

I had the microbots wrap around the piece, before lifting it up and over the water. It was a struggle, but I eventually had it to about eye level. 

I studied the piece I held before me. It seemed very simple, a hunk of silver metal with a large, red bird resting in a circle on the end of one of the pieces.

"Are you alright, Hiro?" Yokai asked, startling me a little.

"Y-yeah, I'm alright. Heading back now." I replied, before turning around and directing the microbots toward the island.

I watched the waves lap across the shore of Akuma Island as I approached it, before they stopped as I stopped. "Where do I put this?" I asked, holding the piece higher behind me.

"Just place it over there." Yokai replied, before there was a twinge on the top of my head. All of a sudden, the microbots turned to the left and traveled to a flat space near the facility. Without my command.

"Alright." I said, placing the piece of whatever it was down in the area. I landed us both in the concrete entrance of the facility, before removing my mask and the microbots' neurocranial transmitter. The tiny robots fell as I handed the silvery piece to Yokai.

I watched as Yokai disappeared in the shadows, before reappearing. Curiousity picked at my mind when he approached me. I nodded, before clearing my throat. "I have a question." I stated, making the microbots on my back stand up.

"Yes?" Yokai responded, nodding as well.

"Why did you go and hide when I gave you the transmitter? Why don't you just replace it in front of me, or somewhere in the light?" I asked. There was a small growl from Yokai's throat as he hesitated.

"Light hurts my eyes." he said. I heard a grain of salt dashed onto that sentence. I couldn't ignore it, so I asked him another question.

"Are you sure?" I asked. This time, Yokai didn't respond. I felt a sharp twang on the top of my head, which made me cringe and hugged my hands to my head. After a short while, it stopped. It left me clear-headed.

"I'm sure." Yokai responded, confidently. I smiled slightly under my mask, before shaking my head.

"You really should get your eyes checked, Yokai. It could be something real bad." I said, before turning to walk inside. The gigabots relaxed on my back as I opened the door, and felt the chill of the indoor area.

"Maybe later, Hiro. Maybe later."


	13. Returning Home

"Alright, Yokai." I responded, following behind. My stomach rumbled slightly, making me lag behind.

After a short while, I opened my mouth to say something. "Hey, Yokai?"

"Yes, Hiro?" he responded, turning to look at me.

"Is there anything to eat?" I said, tilting my head. My stomach rumbled a little more, making me laugh slightly nervously.

"To eat... to eat... to eat..." Yokai pondered, rubbing the chin of his mask. After a short bit, he pointed at me and clicked his tongue. "Lucky Cat Cafe."

"Wh-what?!" I replied, my eyes widening. I lifted my mask to look at him better, and to let Yokai know I was wide-eyed. "We... we can't go there!"

"Why not, Hiro? Or do you not want to eat?" he asked, leaving me in silence.

I couldn't go back there. I couldn't. Aunt Cass'll be pissed off, she'll keep me in my room for eternity... but, at the same time... I could wish everyone a final goodbye... No, I can't.

"If we were to go, I'm not taking anything off." I said, after a while.

"That's the plan. We'll go in, get food, then come back. Just a quick one, alright?" Yokai said, before nodding. I nodded in response, and let him step around me to lead me outside.

We walked back outside, before he looked at me. "You're going to have to take us there, though. You know where it is." Yokai spoke, before hiding and reappearing with the transmitter in his black, gloved hand. I took it from him, before putting it on myself and commanding the microbots to pick both of us up.

It didn't take long until I saw the faint glittering of metal against the shining sun. San Fransokyo. It's only been a day, but it felt like twenty thousand years. I stopped to take in a sigh, before continuing on my path until we reached the docks.

"We're at the docks. Now what?" I asked, turning to Yokai.

"To the cafe, of course." he responded. I paused to think a little, before nodding in response.

"Let's go." I said, before raising up the microbots and taking both Yokai and I down the path I had taken the night before to get to the docks. I turned left, rose over a few fences, and commanded the tiny robots to take the roads to get to the Lucky Cat Cafe.

It didn't take too long for me to see the blossoming cherry trees lining the street that led to the cafe. I took in a sigh, remembering some of the most important things in my life that happened there: my first steps... my first family photo... my last race with Tadashi...

My head turned to the side as I landed both of us near the front door. Tears rolled against the mask, slowly accumulating on the bottom as I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Hiro?"

"I'm... okay..." I replied, before feeling a relaxing buzz on the top of my head. After a few seconds, I had stopped crying and felt a lot better. I lifted my mask and wiped it dry, before replacing it.

"You ready to head in?" Yokai asked, lifting the hand from my shoulder. I nodded, before commanding the microbots to stay back as we walked towards the doors of the cafe.

As soon as we turned the corner to get to the door, I see four familiar figures around the table. A robotic marshmallow was waddling towards the group. It was the gang - Honey Lemon, Fred, Gogo, and Wasabi - and they were huddled around a few pieces of paper. Their lips moved, but I couldn't read them.

My steps slowed when I reached the door. I took in a deep breath, before pushing on the door and opening it. I stepped inside, before letting Yokai trail behind me.

Just then, Baymax looked towards me as I looked towards him. I froze in place when he said a single word.

"Hiro."

At once, everyone else in the group looked at both Yokai and I. I felt my heart beating faster as I became panicked. "Hiro." Baymax said again, pointing at me. The gigabots on my back shot up as I looked towards Yokai, before turning away to take off the microbots' transmitter before handing it to Yokai.

He turned around as well, before putting on the transmitter. There was a slight delay, before the microbots crashed through the window.

"Mai! Go get the food!" Yokai yelled, in my direction. Mai? It must be short for something, possibly the Japanese translation of the nickname he had given me earlier. I nodded, before diving into the kitchen and looking around.

I immediately went to the fridge, grabbing various food items and placing them on the counter. After I had a pile on the counter nearby, I grabbed a cloth bag from underneath it and placed everything inside.

After doing that, I reappeared from the kitchen to Yokai looking straight at me, with Baymax waddling upstairs.

"Hiro. I got them held off for a while. Let's go." he said. I nodded, before running outside. Yokai picked me up once we both got outside, before the microbots rushed us towards the docks; and ultimately, Akuma Island.

The water crashed upon the shoreline as we touched down onto the concrete just outside the facility. I had to lift up my mask to breathe better. I took a few deep breaths, before looking back at Yokai.

A tingling sensation flowed through my body. No, it wasn't from my head. It felt good, it felt thrilling.

"That was close..." I panted out, before opening the bag and looking at the contents inside. Save for a few things, everything I had taken was inside.

"Very close. I could have lost you."

Yokai's words echoed inside my mind. It's only been about a day, why would he be afraid of losing me?

Oh, right, we had a pact; I would help him, then he would help me. 

I nodded, before putting my mask back on. "That was fun."

"It was. We should do something like that when we're done with the portal."


	14. Deprivation

I lifted my mask, before offering a small smile. "Let's head inside, and eat. I can fix a little something-something from the stuff we got."

"That sounds like a plan, Hiro." Yokai responded, before opening the door and leading me inside and into twisting halls. It was a while before we came upon a door.

"This is the kitchen. The girls may be inside, they can help you if you need it." he said, before opening the door and revealing a clean and organized kitchen, that seemed large. There was a bit of silence, before a familiar-looking woman in a long, white kimono with a little red around her sleeves walked up to us.

"Pr-" she said, before words stopped from coming out of her mouth. Her lips moved, but nothing came out of them. No sound. But then I listened - or tried to listen more. I couldn't hear anything.

There was a soft, gentle itch on the back of my head. I went up to scratch the itch, but it didn't go away.

After a while, I heard Yokai speak. It made me flinch, and my gigabots on my back fluttered.

"Hiro, why don't you give her the food? She can make us both something quite delicious." he said, before looking at me. I looked down at the bag, before looking back up at Yokai. With a hesitation, I handed the bag to the woman in the kimono. My eyes narrowed at her, but they quickly returned to normal as Yokai nudged for me to leave.

I walked a little down the hallway, before waiting for Yokai to follow. He hesitated, before coming towards me. 

''Hiro, I think the microbots may be ready.'' he spoke.

"They are? After a day?" I asked, tilting my head. "Wouldn't it take weeks to make many?"

"More machienes mean faster manufacturing, Hiro." Yokai responded, before nodding. "About a gallon-barrel per hour. That, multiplied by 5 machines, multiplied by about 19 hours... turns out to be about 95 barrels. That should be enough, right?"

"Right." I responded, before sighing. "But wouldn't I need a transmitter for it? I mean, the microbots..."

"Right, right. Follow me back to the control room. There should be everything you would need in there... ah, transmitters and everything." Yokai replied, before leading me back towards the control room.

He opened the door, before letting me step inside. After a bit of thought, I turned and looked at the other man in the room.

"Yokai?"

"Yes, Hiro?"

"Shouldn't you tell me - teach me would be a better term to use - the layout of the building?"

"That's way too much information for the chip-" he said, before stopping.

"W-what chip?" I asked, before feeling a buzz in the back of my head. After that, I couldn't remember what I was trying to say.

"The layout is quite complicated, Hiro. It's not worth teaching you at this time." Yokai said, nodding.

"Ah, got it." I responded. Waving my hand in dismissal, I turned to the desk that I have worked at not long ago. A black, gloved hand wiped over the surface, clearing it of everything that I had left from modifying the microbot.

A small grunt rose from my throat as I searched around for the parts I need for making the new transmitter. There was a small search, but I eventually found everything and put them in a neat pile.

I had been working for about half an hour when I heard a knock at my door.

"Hiro?" a feminine voice asked. It sounded like Aunt Cass, yet it did not. It sounded a lot like a voice I heard in a room... against constraints...

"Hiro?" she said again, with another knocking noise. I nodded swiftly, before setting aside the transmitter that I was working on. I stood up, before heading over toward the door and opening it.

"Ah, Hiro. Thought you fell asleep for a second. But, he wanted me to bring your food to... well, you." the woman said, before stepping back a little. "May I come in?"

I narrowed my eyes from behind my mask, before nodding.

"Come in."

I stepped back, allowing the woman in the kimono to step in. She had a tray of food, which looked an awful lot like what Aunt Cass would have made for me.

"Your lunch is a nice salad, with a bit of sauce on top. Not sure what flavor, to be honest with you. He handed me a bottle, and said to use this for the topping." she said, before placing a bowl full of salad on the workspace I had been at, before placing a fork on top.

"Thanks." I said, before she left without another word. I sat down in front of the salad, before feeling my stomach rumble softly. Without another thought, I lifted my mask and started to chow down on the crisp leaves, and savoring the sweet flavor of the ingredients used.

Yokai was right, the girls could make great food.

After a little while, my head started to get a little fuzzy. My consumption slowed down to a stop as I rubbed my tongue on the top of my mouth. It didn't seem to help, and it wasn't one of the rare cases in which it would.

I resumed eating when my stomach growled again. As I did so, I started to go over the events of the past day or so. I left a cafe, met Yokai, and became who I am.

But what was the name of the cafe? Didn't I live at that place?

I thought long and hard about it. Nothing came into my mind about the cafe. Nothing. Not even the name of the place. My hand went to my forehead as I kept thinking about it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think of anything.

A while later, I gave up before putting my mask back on. I kept working on the transmitter for about an hour after that, before hearing a knock at my door.

"Hiro?" Yokai asked.

"Come in." I said, before hearing the door open.

"Oh, great, you ate. Thought I would have to force-feed you." he spoke, before chuckling softly. "Though, I wouldn't."

I laughed as well. "Yeah, I was getting quite hungry too. Anyway, the transmitter's done."

"Great job, Hiro. Let's go and test it out."


	15. Tomorrow

I got up from my chair, fluttering the gigabots on my back. I stretched a little, as well.

"You coming, Hiro?"

At that moment, I realized that Yokai had already left the room. I walked out of the room, holding the transmitter in my hand.

"Don't put it on just yet, don't want the microbots to bust us up or anything." Yokai spoke, before taking a turn.

We traveled for quite a while before coming upon a door. Yokai's hands wrapped gently over the wheel, before spinning it and making the door come lose. He slid the door open, before stepping in and leading the way.

"It's dark in here." I said, after stepping after. After that, there was a tingle in my mind as my arm involuntarily rose and my hand grasped a sleeve.

"Hold on." Yokai said, before picking up pace. I tried to keep up as we eventually broke into a slow jog, before stopping suddenly. "Wait here." he said, before leaving my side and going somewhere.

The lights flickered on, revealing many barrels filled with a black slurry of what I could only guess were microbots. I turned around, before Yokai walked over back to my side.

"Now, try." he spoke, before I lifted my mask to place on my transmitter. I lowered my mask, before thinking of the microbots all flowing out of the bins and forming a shape that vaguely resembled a cat.

As I thought, the microbots obeyed. I watched in satisfaction as all of them shot into the air, before forming a large, black pudgy cat.

"Hah!" I shouted out in triumph, before making one of the cat's paws raise up, then down. I made the tail swish back and forth, before feeling a buzz on the top of my head and watching in sadness as all the microbots fell to the ground.

"Enough fun, Hiro." Yokai said, before looking at me. I looked back, sticking my tongue out from under my mask. "We gotta talk about tomorrow, now that we know that the microbots are operational. Follow me back to the control room."

I followed Yokai out of the room full of microbots, and back to the control room. I sat down in the seat across from Yokai, as I had hours and hours before.

"Hiro, tomorrow we're going to gather all the portal pieces and make sure we have them ready for the next day. Because, the day after that... is the opening of the new headquarters downtown. I should have the remaining two pieces hidden somwhere in the ocean."

"Somewhere in the ocean? Shouldn't you know where you put the pieces, out of all the people in San Fransokyo?" I replied, sounding a bit concerned.

"Can't be bothered to remember everything, Hiro. But they should be easy to find; just go low with the microbots and dig deep with them if you feel the bots stop." Yokai responded, before nodding. "Yeah, that should work. It worked earlier, didn't it?"

"It did." I said, before standing up. "Can you lead me outside? I want to get some fresh air, please."

"Alright." Yokai spoke, standing up and maneuvering out of the room. "But you got an hour. After that, you're coming in for the night."

When we stepped outside, I turned around to look at Yokai suspiciously. "Why are you putting a curfew on me? I won't leave the island."

"I could never be too careful." Yokai responded, before turning to go inside. When he did, I immediately took off my jacket and my mask, dropping them by the door before stepping into the brightness.

I walked up to the fence, before placing my fingers through the holes. I never really thought of this piece, with the brief outside time near the island I've had. It was black, worn from probably years of abuse.

My attention turned towards a large sign that was warn with age. I could make out 'quarantine' in a large, bold print and a skull-and-crossbones beneath it. I pondered on it for a little, before looking back out towards the ocean.

Through the fog, I could barely make out the glow of San Fransokyo, a soft pink against a sea of grey. A soft sigh left my lips as I released my hand from the fence, before sitting down on the pavement.

"San Fransokyo... why did I ever abandon you..." I spoke softly. "I miss you. I miss the cafe. I miss everyone, honestly. I wish I could go back... but this was the choice I choose."

I focused on breathing, before closing my eyes and sighing. I heard a muffled voice in the back of my mind. 

"Hiro!" it called out, angry. "What the hell are you thinking? You're going to kill people! You're going to destroy other people's property!"

It was Tadashi's voice.

"Hiro, listen to me!"

Tears rolled down my face as I fought against the voice. "Tadashi... please... it's only for the good." I choked out, in a whisper. "Please... stop..."

I cried for a few minutes, before wiping the tears from my eyes. I listened out for his voice, yet I didn't hear it at all. I sighed in relief before opening my eyes and looking into the ocean, and at the pinkish glow that was San Fransokyo.

An hour seemed to pass quickly, for before I knew it, I heard footsteps from behind me.

"Hey, Yokai." I spoke, not looking backwards.

"Come on, Hiro. It's been an hour." he replied, before I turned around. He helped me up, and handed me my coat and mask. "You left these by the door."

"I know, I know." I said, laughing slightly as I slipped my coat on and placed the mask firmly on my face. With a nod, we headed inside and to the control room. 

A smile lit on my face at the sight of a matress, a pillow, and a thick blanket of which has not been there the last time I was in the room.

"Thanks..." I said, before walking over to a chair to drape my coat over. I took off my mask and transmitters, before setting them on the control panel nearby.

"No problem." Yokai said, before leaving. I smiled, before tearing off my boots and flexing my toes in relief. A sigh left my lips before I lied down in the bed, before settling in it and quickly dozing off to sleep.


	16. A Close Call

I awoke the next morning to a knocking on my door.

“Wake up.” Yokai spoke, before opening the door slowly. “Hiro, wake up.”

A muffled protest came from the pillow I was sleeping on, before I got up and stretched. I walked over to my coat, putting it on before my transmitters and mask. Immediately, the gigabots drooped to the floor.

“Mm, be patient, I gotta wake up.” I said, before watching Yokai leave. I followed, before finding myself by the kitchen I was at before.

“Breakfast?”

“Breakfast. After this, you can go wash up and we can go out to get the portal pieces.” Yokai responded, before opening the door. I prepared to lose hearing like I had the day before, but I hadn’t. He spoke to the woman before grabbing a tray and turning to leave. With a bit of hesitance, I followed.

Not soon after, we reached the control room again. I watched as Yokai placed the tray down on the table. He grabbed one of the bowls on the tray, before walking towards the door.

“Why don’t you come and eat with me?” I asked, making him pause in his steps. “We- I mean, you could tell me the procedures for tomorrow.”

“I need to speak with the women.” he stated bluntly, before leaving the room. I nodded, before removing my mask and nodding. I grabbed the other bowl, a spoon, and sat back down to eat.

It was about a half hour when I heard muffled voices. Multiple muffled voices. I stopped eating what was left of the contents of the bowl - a delicious cereal that was really fruity - and quickly put on my mask.

I peered out the windows, seeing nothing. With a shrug, I sat down before hearing the voices again this time. But they were closer, and clearer.

All of a sudden, a door in the right room of the large area opened, and people in bright outfits entered. Upon closer look, I could tell these people looked awful familiar. As well, one of these people was a giant robot in red armor.

I took a few steps back in shock. It’s them. But how did they find me?

The robot looked up in my direction, causing the rest of the brightly colored crew to look as well. “Hiro.” the robot spoke, pointing towards me.

In a panic, I started to pace back and forth. I kept asking myself on how they could find me while thinking of a way out. Microbots? Probably. Yokai? But how would I-

The button!

I looked around the room, before finding the red button still down from me pressing it yesterday. I lifted it up, before pressing it down and causing an alarm to go off.

Just then, the side door of the control room opened, revealing the group closer.

“Hiro!” a feminine voice said, before revealing herself from behind Baymax. It was Gogo. “We found you!”

I glanced toward the door that I commonly used nervously, praying that Yokai would get here sooner.

“H-Hiro?” I spoke, trying to make my voice deeper. “I don’t know that person.”

“Oh, come on, Hiro! Let’s go, before you get hurt.” another person said, before coming from behind Baymax. Wasabi.

“But I’m not who you’re looking for!” I spat out, panicked. My glance went back to the back door. "Yokai... please..."

Just at that moment, the other door opened. My face lit up under my mask as I ran towards Yokai, before shuffling behind him. "Intruders!" I yelled, before making the gigabots on my back stand straight up.

"Intruders..." he growled, before looking back at me. "Microbots are cleared."

At that moment, I commanded my army of microbots to rush above the facility, and crash through the ceiling. Then, I crashed them through the window.

"Hiro!" Gogo cried out, before dodging. I dashed through, before taking a leap out of the broken glass and being saved by the slurry of microbots.

I rose myself high before looking down at Yokai. He nodded at me, before leaving.

I hope he's coming back.

"Okay, guys, plan B." I heard someone say, before they started to attack. I retaliated, throwing a spike towards who I could guess at Honey Lemon here and a tentacle of microbots towards Baymax.

I fought against the group until my mind buzzed, and I was suddenly lifted through a gaping hole in the ceiling and into the fresh air. I looked around, dazed, before seeing Yokai not too far away.

"Let's go. I got the one piece, let's go." he spoke, before my mind stopped buzzing. I nodded, before following Yokai at a fast pace towards a small island not too far away.

Every time, I looked back and tried to see if they were following. They weren't. I heaved a sigh of relief, before watching Yokai land on the island.

I followed close behind, letting my feet touch the grass before making the microbots fall down into the ocean. I dove behind a bush, peeking my head out of the leafiness to look at the sky above.

In the distance, a red blur quickly made its way to the pink cityline in the distance. I sighed happily, before standing up and dusting myself off. "Close..." I muttered, before turning my gaze to the only other man on the island.

"Too close. We gotta act fast." Yokai responded, before nodding. "We gotta recover the pieces, hide them here, then we wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Tomorrow, you idiot!" Yokai hissed. I flinched slightly.

"Sorry I asked..." I spoke softly, before looking back at Akuma Island. "Do you think it's safe to go back there? After we get the pieces, of course."

"I'm sure. But, I'll have to have you sleep somewhere deeper in the facility."

"Alright." I replied. At once, we set out to find the other pieces. It took a while, but we each found the other pieces of the portal and placed them on the island.

After that, we went to the facility and stowed away for the rest of the day. When nightfall eventually came, I fell asleep in a dining room area.


	17. Opening Day

The morning started with a loud banging on the door. "Get up, Hiro. The opening starts in an hour."

I snorted awake, and immediately felt disoriented. Then, events of yesterday came rushing back. The group finding me, the quick excape to the tiny island nearby, then going deeper into the facility and falling asleep. I struggled to get up, and the bangs got louder.

"Come on, Hiro!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." I spoke, grumbling slightly as I went to put on the coat, transmitters, and the mask. I then opened the door, before rubbing the back of my neck softly. "Sorry."

I heard a soft growl coming from Yokai, before he nodded. "Come on, Hiro. I need you to get the pieces and carry them to the opening of the facility downtown."

"Alright, alright..." I muttered, before stepping out of the room. "Breakfast?"

"After."

I groaned in dismay softly, before nodding. I trailed behind him, following to the outdoor world which seemed so far away. When we eventually reached it, though, my gigabots fluttered slightly in suprise.

"Come, to the island." Yokai said, before lifting himself with microbots and parting from the island. I followed, catching up in little to no time. We arrived at the island, before I glanced over at him.

"Go ahead, pick it up."

"Don't pick it up!"

I flinched slightly at the words that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"All three pieces. You can defend, while I hold the portal up and deal with Krei. Once we get to the place, you can just hand me the pieces." Yokai said, before nodding.

"Don't, Hiro! Now's your chance to run!"

The voice! Now that I heard it the second time, it was clear to me that it was Tadashi's. My hands went to my mask, covering it as I began to tremble.

"Hiro?" he asked, looking at me. "Are you alright?"

"Yes- no! I'm... okay... not okay..." I spoke, feeling the gigabots on my back flutter in confusion. "I... I don't know..."

"Hiro! Hi-" Tadashi's voice called out, before being cut out abruptly when there was a hard buzz on the top of my head. I cringed, but as soon as it came, it left. I looked up, and felt better.

"Better?"

"Better." I responded, before shaking my head. I commanded the microbots to pick up the pieces of the portal. Then, we were on our way to the pink glow that was San Fransokyo.

The waves crashed onto the shore when we had arrived. I stepped down from the microbot flurry, holding the pieces just above the water as I waited for Yokai to arrive. When he did, I looked towards him in a "what do we do next" kind of way.

"Now we go all attack-from-behind. Follow. And keep the pieces high above. Only use a foot or so to carry yourself." he spoke, before tilting his head in the opposite direction.

I nodded, before shooting the pieces high above us. I carried them above the rooftops of the city as we slipped and slid through the intricate streets. I stopped every now and then to readjust.

It didn't take long before we came up behind a large, white building with various voices coming from the other side. "This the place?"

"This is the place." Yokai responded, before looking up at the portal pieces I held so high. "Give those to me."

I nodded, before carefully transferring the grasp of the portal from my microbots to his. Once it was successful, I let my microbots fall down. Taking a deep breath, I looked at the building blankly.

I bit my lip, before letting the breath out. "When do we go?" I ask, before taking a deep and shaky breath in.

"When I tell you to, Hiro." he replied, looking intently up.

In the wait, I took deep breaths before sitting in a chair formed from my microbots. I closed my eyes, attempting to clear my mind.

My mind placed me in a wide field, with a dark sky bordering the south and a pleasurable one bordering the north. I stood there, before seeing someone walk towards me. There was a disgusted look on their face.

Tadashi.

"Hiro. I'm... I'm disappointed in you." he spoke, grabbing me by the shoulders. I looked down, before starting to cry. I lifted my mask, allowing me to breathe better.

"Ta-Tadashi... I'm so sorry..." I choked out, before wrapping my arms around him. "But it's only to get you ba-back..."

"Hiro. I'm gone gone. There's no hope, not even in fifty years." he spoke softly. before holding me in a hug. "I'm sorry..."

We stood there, with me crying into Tadashi. It was this way for a long time, before a large shaking overtook the field.

In no time, I snapped awake. The gigabots on my back stood straight up in alarm as I recollected myself, a disappointed sigh when I remembered I was behind a large, white building. No field for miles.

"Hiro, come on." Yokai spoke, before raising himself. "Take the northern side. I'll handle everything on my side."

I nodded hesitantly. I swiftly maneuvered myself, before raising myself, so that only my head showed, over a white wall that was covering the north side. I peeked down, before sighing.

All of a sudden, the gigabots on my back shot up in surprise as Yokai burst from behind the building, shouting in anger.

"A setback?"

I raised myself more in preperation. As I did, though, my eyes widened.

"Was my daughter a setback?"

I kept watching the whole display in horror: the microbots raising the pieces of the portal, Yokai taking Krei up in a cocoon of microbots, and the sneering of Yokai's words.

It took me every fiber of my being to keep me aware of the mission at hand: to keep any opposing forces from interfering. I looked beside me, and saw that the team from earlier had arrived at the scene.

I looked towards Yokai, before tilting my head. He looked back at me briefly, before nodding. "You know what to do, Hi- Mai. You know what to do."

I nodded swiftly, before switching my attention to the colorful pack of five.


	18. Termination

The gigabots on my back shot up, like how a cat would puff up its fur to make it more intimidating. I waited a second or so, before looking at the building and watching it start to slowly tear up. I shook my head briskly, before diving towards the group.

"Guys, behind you!" someone had said, and a flash of blue came from below. One by one, everyone geared up for a fight.

A small frown appeared on my face as the group evaded, but it was quickly replaced with a wicked smile. Not discouraged, I decided to take each one down one-by-one, then holding them down with microbots and forcing them to watch, just as Yokai had done to Krei.

My first target: Baymax. I searched for the armored robot, before finding him about to take flight. I geared up to intercept, and charged forward just as his feet lifted off the ground. Then, my hand pushed forward as a stream of microbots shot out to wrangle the red Baymax, capturing him with a little struggle.

I looked up at the portal, then back at Baymax, then to Yokai. "Throw them in or not?" I shouted out.

"In." Yokai responded, shifting his attention back to what he was handling.

I then looked back at Baymax, before lifting him near the portal. Just as Baymax's feet touched the light blue surface, I stopped and stared at its blank expression.

If I proceeded, I would let Tadashi down and waste his work. But if I didn't, my mission would fail.

I heard the softest sigh of discontent from Yokai, before feeling a sharp pain on the top of my head. All of a sudden, all other thoughts and memories were wiped away, leaving the violent and malicious side of me exposed.

Without another hesitation, I tossed Baymax into the portal and quickly drew my microbots back. I then looked around for the crew, before settling on my next victim: Wasabi.

I dove down for the man in a green supersuit, before being met with retaliation from three other sources. I scooped him up, before dealing with the others by shooting spikes of microbots as I rose up into the air, ready to throw another thing into the portal.

"H-Hiro! Please! Don't do this!" Wasabi sputtered out, in complete shock. After a bit of silence, I felt my face twist into a sneer.

"Hiro is gone." I spoke, in a flat and deep tone before tossing the body into the portal and feeling an odd sense of satisfaction. I then turned back and started the search for the next person to go: Fred.

It took me a bit of a struggle, for he didn't have his face exposed. I then came to the conclusion that he was the one in the mascot's suit, and picked him up promptly.

This time, I was met with fire spewing towards me. I placed up a shield of microbots between me and the fire, before tossing Fred into the portal and chuckling softly. Next up... Honey Lemon.

I dove towards the pink figure, before grunting in dismay when a yellow blur whisked her away. Finally, a good fight.  
I growled loudly, before sending spikes of microbots and attempting to stop the two. It was a failure for a while. A couple minutes of this had passed when there was a blue sphere flying towards one of the spikes that I had sent out.

When it hit, a blue goop had covered the section and solidified. I grunted softly, before wiggling it to break the piece up. Once the microbots were freed, I took a large amount and surrounded the two in them.

Once I realized my success, I smiled underneath my mask before lifting the two up into the air and towards the portal.

"Hiro, please..." Honey Lemon begged, looking both horrified and absolutely terrified.

"Hiro..." Gogo echoed, matching Honey Lemon's expression.

"Who is this 'Hiro' you keep speaking of?" I spoke, in a low tone.

"Hiro, snap out of it! You don't know what you're doing!" Honey Lemon begged, before I raised them closer.

"I'm. Not. Him." I growled, before pushing them into the portal. I quickly drew my microbots back, and drew myself back, watching in odd satisfaction as the building tore up bit by bit.

"Good job." I heard Yokai speak. I nodded, before lifting my mask up just so he could see the proud smile on my face.

"What do I do now?" I asked.

"You can just watch, if you want to. I may need you later." Yokai responded.

I sat myself high up, watching on a platform of microbots as the building kept tearing up and the pieces being sucked up into the blue abyss. I took in a deep sigh, before fluttering my eyes close. I took a quick nap, but was quickly awoken by a loud shouting coming from Yokai.

"Come on, Hiro." he spoke, motioning for me to come over. I did, and nodded. "Yes?"

"Come." he spoke, before looking down. I looked down at where he was looking, and found a defeated Krei in his grasp. "Would you like to do the honors?"

"No, thanks. It's your catch, anyway." I replied. Yokai nodded, before lifting Krei towards the portal.

"Any last words?"

All he got in response was a slow nod. Impatient, Yokai tossed him into the portal before looking down at me. "Take it apart!" he yelled out.

I immediately took hold of one of the pieces, before tugging on it with all that I could. It took a while, but it eventually loosened and almost sent me stumbling backwards. I grunted in dismay, but let the piece I held in the air fall down to the ground.

Yokai looked at me, before coming over. He took in a deep breath, before nodding. "You did a great job." he spoke, before I felt a soft buzz on the top of my head. He then placed a hand on my shoulder. "The mission is done. You have fufilled your half of the deal. Let's get back to the island so I can complete mine."


	19. His Half Of The Deal

A smile lit on my face when he finished speaking. I can finally see Tadashi again, and it's not in some kind of fevered dream or a hallucination.

"We can leave the portal pieces here." Yokai spoke, before letting the pieces settle onto the ground. "Follow." he added, before turning to head towards Akuma Island in the most direct route.

"Aren't we going over buildings?" I asked, trailing behind.

"Don't you want your reward faster?" Yokai responded, looking at me.

I nodded, and he looked forward again as we travelled over the rooftops, eventually reaching the ocean. I stopped, before looking behind me.

"Hiro, are you alright?" Yokai asked, coming towards me.

"I just want to go to the cemetery later." I spoke, voice hollow. There was a small tingling sensation as my head forcefully faced forward. The feeling stopped, before Yokai nodded subtly.

"We can go there later, once I grab the things I need from the island." he said, before waving his right hand, in a 'come here' motion. I nodded, before following. We travelled over the ocean, before reaching the island and making waves lap on the shore.

I touched down on the island first, before Yokai stepped in front of me and opened the door that led inside. "Follow." he spoke, before stepping in and walking deep inside the facility. We took twists and turns, but eventually came upon a vault-like room.

"Stay out here while I grab the things I need." Yokai commanded. I obeyed, watching him disappear into the room. There was a bit of silence, before I heard a shout come from within. "Rose, lavender, vanilla, or lemon?"

A confused expression found its way to my face, before I nodded. "Rose." I replied. There was a little more shuffling, before Yokai reappeared with a bag full of things, and a board sticking out on top. I tried to study it, but he yanked it away before I could get a good look at it. He directed me back to the control room, where I stayed there for hours before Yokai came back and called me from my room.

"Let's go." he spoke, before leading me out of the facility. I followed behind, and once we were out of the facility, we made our way to San Fransokyo, and ultimately, the San Fransokyo Cemetary.

We came upon the gates way too soon, and I found myself feeling sick and slightly winded. I groaned slightly in discomfort as we crossed into the cemetery. "Hiro, lead me to him." Yokai spoke, making me jump a little.

"O-Okay." I spoke, before letting the gigabots on my back wilt downwards. I directed both of us to the gravestone I had been at just four days ago. I then looked back at Yokai, before tilting my head. He pulled out a short and fat rose-colored candle, a couple tall ones, and bases for the tall candles.

He then proceeded to set the candles on top of the gravestone, with the fat one in the center and the tall ones on the sides. Yokai paused, before pulling out a lighter from the bag and lighting each one. In no time, the area we occupied was heavily scented with the sweet aroma of a rose flower.

"Do you know how to use an Ouiji board, Hiro?" he asked, before pulling out the board from earlier and a small wooden piece, with a glass circle in the middle.

"N-No, I haven't in my life." I replied, startled. "Are you gonna lead me or something?"

"Yes." he replied, before sitting down, legs underneath. He motioned to do the same, and I sat down as well. "Take off your mask."

I complied.

"And expose your hair as well." he spoke. I took off the hood, exposing my black hair that was slightly squished down. My hands went up to fluff it back up to full volume, before nodding.

"Now what?"

Yokai placed the board in front of the two of us. He shuffled a little to seat himself so he faced a shorter side, and I did the same. He placed the piece in the center of the board, before reaching his hands forward. "Take my hands."

I nodded, before doing so.

"Close your eyes."

I did.

"We are attempting to contact the spirit of Tadashi Hamada. If you are present, please come and speak with us tonight." Yokai spoke, before letting go of my hands. "You can open your eyes."

I opened my eyes, before watching as a gloved finger touched the piece and moving the piece so that the point of it rested on the letter G. He nodded, and I placed my finger on the piece as well. There was silence for a few seconds, before Yokai started to speak.

"Is anyone here?"

There was a hesitation, before the piece moved slowly towars 'Yes'.

"Is this Tadashi?"

More hesitation. After a short bit, the piece moved away, but returned to 'Yes'. There was a small laugh of triumph from Yokai, before he spoke to me. "Your turn to speak." he said, before looking back at the board. "Tadashi, I am now leaving. It has been nice speaking to you. I will leave you with your brother, Hiro."

With that, Yokai stood up and left the board. I watched as he leaved, and saw him go towards the gates. I nodded briefly, before rotating the board slowly so that the letters were upright.

"Tadashi..." I spoke softly. The piece moved around, first to 'H', then to 'I', then to 'R', and stopping at 'O'.

"Yes?" I asked, concetrating on the board. I watched the piece dance around, spelling out a sentence. 'H', then 'E', then 'U', then 'S', and to 'E', 'D', 'Y', 'O', and 'U'.

I looked at the board in disbelief. "What do you mean he used me?"

'H', 'E', 'U', 'S', 'E', 'D', 'Y', 'O', 'U', 'I', 'N', 'H', 'I', 'S', 'S', 'C', 'H', 'E', 'M', 'E'.

"Why didn't you warn me?"

'H', 'E', 'U', 'S', 'E', 'D', 'M', 'I', 'N', 'D', 'C', 'O', 'N', 'T', 'R', 'O', 'L'.

I stared at the board in disbelief. "But why?"

'B', 'L', 'A', 'N', 'K', 'S', 'L', 'A', 'T', 'E'.

I looked at the board, before nodding. "How did he use it?"

'M', 'I', 'C', 'R', 'O', 'C', 'H', 'I', 'P', 'T', 'R', 'A', 'N', 'S', 'M', 'I', 'T', 'T', 'E', 'R'.

"And can I destroy the transmitter, making the chip useless?"

The piece moved to 'Yes'. I nodded, before feeling tears catch in my eyes. "I must go now. Goodbye, Tadashi." I spoke, before watching the piece move to 'Goodbye'. After, I blew out the candles and picked up my mask, replacing it on my face before picking up the board and the piece and heading back to Yokai. While I did, I started to hatch a revenge plan.

When I caught up to him, I came upon the conclusion that death was the best punishment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit.


	20. Callaghan?

"You ready to leave, Hiro?" Yokai asked.

"Yes." I quickly responded, jaw tightly clenched.

"You don't sound so happy."

"I'm fine." I said, before taking off my mask entirely to replace the hood, and putting it back on. "Really, I'm okay." I added, before forcing myself to smile.

Yokai nodded in response. "Let's go, then." he spoke, before a swarm of microbots lifted him into the air. I lifted myself up, thinking on how to disable them so I could go in for the kill.

Take off the mask! Then, I could disable the transmitter for my chip and take his microbot transmitter for my own. I laughed softly at my plan as we headed towards the island. But, how would I acquire the mask? I thought in silence, before coming upon the conclusion that a fistfight would be the best - using martial arts if I really needed to.

Which I probably would.

We touched down on the island a little sooner than I thought we would. When we did, though, I immediately shed my coat and tossed it to the side.

"Hiro?" Yokai asked, before facing me.

I then took of my mask, revealing my facial expression: enraged.

"Hiro. Stop this right now." he said, before I felt a buzz on the top of my head. I fought against it, feeling myself ache as I took off my boots to increase my mobility. I tossed those towards where I had my mask and coat, before taking the hood off and letting my hair fly.

"H-Hiro..." Yokai stuttered out, watching me take a fighting stance. I felt every single ounce of me get revved up in anticipation.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't attack you, right now." I said, through clenched teeth. My feet shifted a little as I waited for a response.

"I-" he replied, before my body couldn't take it anymore. I lurched foreward, my right fist prepared to go straight to the side of his head, hopefully loosening the mask and maybe even sending it sailing off all together.

"Hiro!" he shouted out, and I felt the tingling intensify. It didn't stop me, though, and I eventually made my attack. It had stunned Yokai, which isn't what I really wanted - but it was good, nonetheless. I made another attack, this time in the same area but with a little more force. With him stumbling backwards, I finally took the opportunity to rip off the mask.

I did, and immediately took my microbots high into the air. I flipped the mask over, before taking out the two transmitters: one a familiar blue, and one a peppermint green. I took the blue one and quickly slipped it onto my forehead, before taking the green one and sent it to the microbots, which snapped it in half.

Once the other transmitter was destroyed, I lowered myself back to the ground. I saw Yokai facing the door, with his head low.

"Give the mask back, Hiro." he spoke. 

Now that the voice wasn't through a filter, it was all clear. It sounded strikingly familiar.

"Reveal yourself, first. Then, you'll get your mask back." I growled, through my teeth.

There was a soft sigh, before he slowly turned around to face me. When he did, I stood there wide-eyed.

"Professor... C-Call... Callaghan..." I stuttered, in complete shock. I felt the wind knocked out of me, and felt sick to my stomach. "You... you..."

"I what?" he responded.

"I trusted you..." I said, my voice sounding wheezy and destroyed. I thought back to all that happened, and tried to wrap my head around the events that went on. I couldn't even fathom the thought that all along, the man I had looked up to after Tadashi was gone - his mentor, even - had manipulated me to do his wrong-doings.

"I trusted you... and you..." I said, words barely excaping my throat as I stood there, stunned. After a short bit of silence, I tossed the mask back at Yokai- no, Professor Callaghan.

I stood there, before dashing back to the items that I have taken off not that long ago. "Hiro, stop." he spoke. 

I didn't listen.

As soon as I had my mask back on, I had the swarm of microbots carry me away towards the pink glow. This had let me think of what had happened.

My mind still was in shock when I approached the docks. I sat down on a worn wooden one, before letting my feet swing absentmindedly. I took off my mask and let the tears flow freely from my eyes. I still couldn't believe it! It couldn't be.

I put my mask back on, before leaning back so that I laid on the dock. I closed my eyes, before letting myself return to the field that I was in hours ago.

Tadashi was still standing there, waiting for me to come back. I ran up to him, before crying my eyes out. "I... I can't believe..."

There was a soft sigh, before Tadashi began to speak. "I'm so sorry that you had to find out this way, Hiro. I wish there was another way."

"I wish so, too." I responded, between tears. "I..."

"You what, Hiro?" Tadashi responded, pushing me away from him to look in my eyes.

"I want to... I want..."

"You want to what?"

"I want to kill him." I said, after a bit of hesitation.

"Hiro, violence isn't the answer to everything."

"But he... he let you die! He manipulated me to do his wrongdoings! Eye for eye! Limb for limb!" I stuttered out, feeling phantom gigabots shoot up on my back.

"I..." Tadashi spoke, before sighing. "You have a point, Hiro."

"I have a point?" I spoke, in disbelief.

"Do it. Just be quick with it, alright?"

"I..." I said, before hugging Tadashi. "Thanks..."

I forced myself to leave the field and back into reality. I sat up, looking around at my surroundings. I was still at the docks, which was great. I took in deep breaths, before heading back to Akuma Island. This time, I didn't sleep inside the building. I slept in a bubble of microbots on top, with a window that allowed me to breathe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That isn't Tadashi speaking in the last few lines he said. It's Hiro's mind overriding the spirit... :)C


	21. Extinguish

Light filtered through the window I had left in the bubble. I stretched as I got up, before commanding the microbots to fall onto the metallic roof of the facility I had temporarly called home. It created quite the clatter, which I had hoped would shoot up a red flag. After a small while, I formed a large blob before letting it fall, creating another loud clatter.

This continued twice, until I eventually stopped. It would take a lot more than I thought to drive him out. I sat upon the roof, listening to the soft whisper of waves crash upon the shore as I thought of how I would end Callaghan. A drop from a height would leave a bloodstain, and would be real messy. Constriction would produce a similar mess, if not, be a lot messier.

Waves whispered to me as I watched them crash upon the island's shore. That's it! Drowning! It seems suitable - Tadashi had died in a fire, and I would be 'putting out the fire'. Also, this way would be treacherous. A soft chuckle rose from my throat I slowly stood up. I stretched the gigabots on my back, before heading towards the edge of the building.

I made the microbots clatter and make noise against the roof as I waited for my target to appear. Minutes passed, and he still wouldn't come. I walked back and forth, humming tunes that came to my head and making a little dance to go along with it.

Eventually, I heard small steps upon pavement when one of the waves of microbots was about to drop. I peered down the ledge, and smiled when my target had arrived. Rising on a pillar of them, I stepped down onto the pavement while they held me in their grasp.

"Hiro!" I heard Callaghan say, in suprise. "You're back!"

The voice only made my face twitch under my mask, before I trapped him in a ring of microbots. This ring closed in on him, before entangling the man in its grasp.

"Hiro, what the hell are you doing?" he shouted, as I rose above the gates and into the ocean.

"I'm putting out the fire." I spoke, voice low and crumbling. "It's been ablaze for far too long."

A wicked smile found its way onto my face as I reached a spot where it was an equal distance from Akuma Island and the city - or, as close as I could. I rose my hand, and watched as the microbots containing a squirming Callaghan rose high into the air.

"H-Hiro, stop this!" he protested. "After all I've done-"

"After all you've done?" I shouted, in response. "All you have done was use me. Misguided me. Made me your pawn in the game of crime. You made me do things I would have never done in my life. And all for what? Getting Tadashi back? He's gone. Long gone."

I stopped, taking in deep breaths and letting tears flow from my eyes. "I trusted you, Callaghan. I trusted you with every fiber of my being... and you broke it. Shattered it into millions of pieces." I continued, before starting to lower the figure into the water below.

"I'm sorry!"

"How am I supposed to know that's sincere?" I retaliated, before I completely lost it and forced the body to go deep underwater. I watched dozens upon dozens of bubbles rise to the surface, before it stopped.

I rose Callaghan into the air. There was coughing and sputtering, before I forced him down below again.

About ten minutes passed before I lifted him up one last time. He was limp - the last breath of life gone for a while. I chuckled, before tossing the body towards Akuma Island, and saw it make quite a large splash.

I went back to the island, before touching down onto the island and heading inside. I was met with the white-clothed woman that was awful familiar in the back of my mind.

"Hiro!" the lady said, blissfully. "Where is he?" she asked, before tilting her head.

A small laughter rose from my throat before I motioned her to follow me outside. "He said he wanted to see you." I responded, before walking out into the open space outside.

"Where is he?" she asked, curiously. I turned around, before encasing her in microbots. "H-Hiro?" she stuttered out, before I laughed manically.

"Over there!" I said, before tossing her in the general direction I had come from. Her screams followed behind, before there was a loud splash. There was a splotch of white bobbing up and down in the distance, of which I ignored before lifting myself up and over to watch the scene unravel before me.

I closed my eyes, before leaning back on a platform made from the microbots. I was immediately back at the field. Tadashi was standing there, as usual - but there was a dark-clothed figure that was sopping wet.

"Hiro." Tadashi spoke, before approaching me. The other figure didn't bother to follow, but instead disappeared in a flash of dark light.

"Yes, Tadashi?" I responded, cheerfully.

"You shouldn't have." Tadashi spoke to me, before laying a hand on my shoulder. Then, he disappeared in a light - this time, a light blue. I was left in the field, alone.

Panic settled over me as I went to the center, and looked up at the sky. The dark and gloomy side was slowly overpowering the bright and sunny side, before it completely engulfed the surface. I could barely see the blades of grass - the glint and glitter of reflected moonlight was the only way I could keep track of the ground.

I forced myself to wake up, still on the platform I had formed with the microbots. I looked around, before heading towards San Fransokyo. Whatever the dream meant, it must had been something bad. Usually, when I had dreams that were bad, something horrible happened soon after. But this dream was like no other - no, it was way worse.


End file.
